The Missing Piece
by MadameCissy
Summary: Charles Hoyt is dead. The terror has ended. But when Jane wakes up the day after and finds out that Maura has gone missing, she has to accept that maybe her real nightmare has only just begun... Rizzles.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: ** Charles Hoyt is dead. It is the end of an horrific ordeal. There are scars, there are memories but there is also hope. The day after the death of Charles Hoyt, Jane wakes up into what should be a world without fear. But when she finds out that after her birthday party Maura has gone missing Jane is forced to realize that maybe the real nightmare has only just begun..

**Pairing: **Rizzles. Because there is only one true love.

**Rating: **T

**Disclaimer: **Rizzoli & Isles belongs to the wonderful Tess Gerritsen as well as to TNT. I am simply borrowing the characters, have my way with them and then put them back where I found them.

**Timeline:** Set right after the 2x10 "Remember Me"

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_"How can you love someone and not be able to be with them...?"_

Jane Rizzoli groaned and blinked against the bright light falling through the half open bedroom curtains. It felt warm on her face but it was everything but pleasant to her eyes. If anything, it freaking hurt like hell. She had a pounding headache and as she pulled the duvet over her head she was convinced this had to be the hangover from hell. Birthday celebrations, countless numbers of cans of beer, and not to mention the fact that she head butted a prison guard the previous day in an attempt to save her life as well as that of her best friend from a psychopath serial killer, made that Jane felt rather less in a celebratory mood this morning.

The persistent knock on the front door made her want to hide even deeper under the covers but when the knocking continued, and only began to aggravate her already aggravated headache, Jane slipped out of bed, scrambled her way across the bedroom and into her apartment. She tripped over a horse shaped balloon that had been left on the living room floor as a reminder and her eyes wandered around the mess that had been left behind after last night's party. She had never celebrated the death of another human being before but the death of Charles Hoyt was genuinely the best birthday present she could ever have asked for.

Another knock.

"Yeah yeah, I'm coming" Jane groaned and went to remove the chain from the door. Her hand hovered in mid-air for a second when she realised it wasn't on. She frowned but then her fingers closed around the doorknob and opened it. Even without peering through the peephole, she wasn't even sure whether she had the eyesight to manage it, she knew who the person standing outside was. Only one woman knocked in such a persistent manner.

"Good morning baby" said Angela Rizzoli cheerfully and walked past her daughter into the apartment. There she spun around. "AH! The mess, Jane!"

"We had a party in here last night, Ma, remember? You were there" Jane said as she closed the door and turned to face her mother. She instantly regretted even having let her in. She loved her mother, honestly she did, but with a hangover and still half asleep, Angela Rizzoli was not the person you invited into your house. Dressed in an oversized Red Sox jersey and a pair of grey shirts and coupe birds nest on her head, Jane looked anything but flattering and she shook her head when her mother began pushing aside some of the empty beer cans and the abandoned pizza box on the coffee table. "Really?"

Angela arched an eyebrow and continued into the kitchen. She planted the grocery bag she had been carrying on the counter and her eyes curiously wandered around her daughter's home as if it was the first time she saw it. "Where's Dr Isles?"

"Why don't you tell me, Ma? You're the one living in her guest house"

Jane shot a quick glance in the mirror on the wall and smiled when she realised someone had draped their tie over it. The more she looked around, the more her apartment reminded her of a frat house instead of the home of a Boston homicide detective. Staring at her own reflection Jane's eyes were drawn to the plasters on her forehead covering the cut and bruises she had sustained when she head butted the police guard. Tentatively she brushed aside a strand of raven hair and revealed the thin, red cut across her throat where Hoyt's scalpel had sliced through her skin. She shook her head as she imaged flooded back into her mind and she turned around to find Angela staring at her with a look that showed both worry as well as relief.

"Don't you remember Dr Isles saying last night that she wanted to make sure you were all right to be left alone for the rest of the night? It was why Detective Korsak drove me home" Angela said and Jane furrowed her brow.

She did have a vague recollection of Maura saying something like that. In fact, she even had some blurred image of Maura standing over her bed. Her dark eyes snapped up to meet her mother's. "Yes…." She didn't sound convinced.

"When I woke up this morning she still hadn't come home so I thought she had spent the night here with you and I decided to come over and make you breakfast" Angela said whilst rummaging through the grocery bag and only now did Jane realise that her mother had brought everything she needed to make pancakes. A slight smile fell over her face and she walked up to her, wrapped her arms around her mother's waist and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Thanks, Ma"

"You know, if Dr Isles is still in bed you can just tell me, Jane. I wasn't going to walk in on her, you know. It is fine with me, honest" Angela said, her face straight as she looked at her daughter.

"It is fine…" Jane began, looking slightly bewildered and stared at her mother in a mixture of horror and utter surprise. "What? Hang on Ma, _what _exactly is fine with you?"

"You and Dr Isles of course!" Angela said with a beaming smile and opened one of the cupboards to try and find a measuring jug. "Oh Jane, why can't you ever put things back in the same place where I left them?"

Jane stared at her mother, not sure whether to be shocked or insulted. She ran her fingers through her messy curls as she tried to figure out whether Angela had actually said what she thought she had just said. This was _not_ what she needed this morning. Her head was feeling thick enough and there was very little room for these crazy thoughts. "Me and... Ma, what the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh come on, Jane, did you really think I wouldn't figure it out? I wasn't born yesterday, you know" Angela laughed and began mixing the ingredients for the pancakes together. "The amount of time you two spent together, you have practically moved into her house and you have more clothes in Dr Isles' wardrobe than you have in your own…" She looked for a moment, her eyes twinkling. "I know. I rearranged her clothes"

"Yeah, and threw away her shoe boxes" Jane immediately added and couldn't suppress a smile when she remembered Maura's confused expression upon first realising what had happened to her wardrobe. "Ma, are you seriously thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"And what would that be, Janie?"

"You think me and Maura are together? Like together together?" Jane's eyes were suddenly wide open and whatever bit of sleep that had still blurred her brain was now gone. She couldn't quite comprehend that they were actually having this conversation. She shook her head and her raven curls danced around her head. "Like _together_?"

Angela nodded. "Of course I do, baby. Especially after last night. And why wouldn't I?"

"Maybe because we're not?"

Angela openly laughed. "Knock it off. There is no need to try and fool me any longer. Honestly, it's fine. Just go and get her, Jane. Nobody wants cold pancakes for breakfast"

Jane stared at her mother, her mouth slightly open. "Ma, I can't go and get Maura because she isn't here!"

Angela looked up as she carefully put the first pancake on one of the plates and her eyes found Jane's. Upon seeing the expression on her daughter's face she slowly put down the pan and seemed stunned for a second. "Not here? But I thought…"

Jane shook her head. "Yeah, well, stop thinking. You're not doing the world a favour. Maura and I are not _together,_ Ma. She is my best friend and sometimes she sleeps over. And sometimes, I spent time at Maura's house…" She shrugged and felt a somewhat uncomfortable blush spread across her cheeks. She averted her eyes and stared at the floor. "I happen to like watching baseball on her TV"

"That is not all you happen to like now is it? She has bought you coco puffs, Jane" Angela said with a knowing look and she reached a bowl that lay in the sink, a left over from yesterday's breakfast that Jane had neglected to wash up. "And there is one of these in Maura's kitchen. I know it's yours because it doesn't match the rest of her crockery and it's the only type of bowl you'll eat your cereal from. I bought you these, remember? And last week I found two of your shirts in the clean washing…" She arched an eyebrow. "And that is not all that I found. I am sure Dr Isles doesn't wear girlie boxers"

"MA!" Jane raised her hands up and shook her head in disbelief. "Stop! You're just… Oh, why am I even talking to you about this? Maura and I are just friends…"

Angela rolled her eyes and continued to make another pancake. "Well, if she is not here, then where is she? At work?"

"No. It is not Maura's weekend to be on call" Jane automatically answered and wanted to slap herself when she saw the look her mother gave her. She didn't know how to feel about her mother's assumption that she and Maura were more than friends. How did that idea even come to be? She sat down at the counter, picked up a fork and poked around in her pancake for a few seconds before looking back up. She put her fork back down. Suddenly she didn't feel like eating anymore. Her curiosity had been triggered. Jane sighed.

"Ma, did you really think me and Maura were together?"

Angela folded her arms across her chest and for a split second Jane realised how much she looked like her mother. The way they pulled their faced when making a point was identical. The thought horrified her. Angela merely shrugged. "Yeah, me and the rest of the world"

"The rest…" Jane began and groaned before covering her face with her hand. "Ma, did you to talk to Frankie about this?"

"Of course. He sees you way more than I do. And he said that you're always texting Dr Isles when you're not out somewhere chasing bad guys together."

"Oh man this is bad…." Jane sighed and peered at her mother through her fingers. Suddenly her head snapped up as realisation dawned on her. She nervously looked around for her cell phone and realised she had left it at the side of her bed. She jumped up and ran across the apartment to her bedroom. From there her muffled voice could be heard. "Ma, if Maura isn't at home or work or here, then where is she?"

"Maybe she's met up with someone?"

Jane poked her head around the door as she struggled to change into a pair of jeans she had found on the floor She clutched her cell phone as she fought with the zipper. "Really, Ma? First you say Maura and I are lovers and then you just go and suggest she has met up with someone else? Besides, Maura wouldn't go and meet up with someone unless she has told somebody else where she's going…"

"Like she didn't tell you when Ian came to visit?" Angela retorted and judging from the dark look that appeared in her daughter's eyes she knew she had said something wrong. Jane walked back into the living room, still pulling her t-shirt over her head and with one arm already poking through. She had found a rubber hairband and bound her hair in a messy ponytail. She quickly sat back down and began searching through her cell phone for missed calls or text messages from Maura. There were none. Just Frankie texting her saying he was proud of her and he had a good night last night.

Jane hit speed dial and began cutting her pancakes into pieces. She had just stuck the first forkful in her mouth when Maura's phone rang out and went to voicemail. She quickly swallowed before leaving a message. A tiny bit of syrup trickled down the corner of her mouth and dripped on tp her shirt. She swore under her breath before restoring herself and focusing on leaving a message. "Hey Maur, it's me. Ma said you're not home. Just call me back when you hear this, all right? I can do with an extra pair of hands to clean up the mess in my apartment" She hung up and gave her mother a look. "See, just an ordinary message"

"How's your head this morning?" Angela cleverly changed the subject and poured her daughter a glass of milk.

"It hurts"

"From the alcohol or because you went head to head with a prison guard?"

"Both" Jane slipped off her chair. She left the half eaten pancake. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore and she didn't fancy getting any more stains in her shirt. "I am probably still over the limit and my world looks like a carnival ride right now. You think you could drive me to Maura's?"

"What? But I just got here and…" Angela gestured around. Another one of the horse shaped balloons fell from the ceiling and landed on the floor. Both Rizzoli women stared at it for a moment, both still trying to decide whether to smile or frown. "…your apartment…"

"It can wait" Jane said impatiently. This was not the time to think about how she was ever going to remove the stickers from her doorframe. "Can you just take me to Maura's, Ma?"

Angela shook her head, switched off the gas and left the dirty dishes for what they were. She patted her pockets in search for her car keys and followed her daughter of the door. Jane closed it behind her after one last hard look at the state of her apartment. And with a tiny smile, remembering Maura as she had sent her to bed, she followed her mother down the corridor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jane snatched the front door key to Maura's house from her mother's hand and opened the door herself. "Maura?" There was a roughness to her voice due to the large amounts of alcohol she had consumed the previous night but somewhere underneath a hint of nervousness could be detected. Her voice carried on through the empty house. There came no reply. Jane had noticed Maura's blue Prius wasn't parked in the drive and as she stepped in the house she immediately became aware of Bass, sitting right by the front door. He seemed to stare up at her expectantly. She suppressed her natural urge to make a joke at the creature's expense, which was only fun when Maura was around to tell her off, and walked into the house. Her first stop was the kitchen and her gaze dropped to the floor. A simple white plate stood on the wooden floor, empty. Jane turned around and found her mother looking at Bass.

"Did you feed him last night?" she asked but Angela shook her head. "Maura always feeds him at night time and it will last him throughout the day…" She cocked her head and the pieces began to fall into place. "He isn't a particularly fast eater…" Angela looked up and their gazes locked. Jane pointed at the plate. "There is no food here. Maura didn't feed him last night"

Angela stepped over Bass who now almost hopefully began shuffling their way. If tortoises could run,, Jane was convinced this was how they did it. She walked up to the fridge, opened the bottom drawer and found the bag of salad marked BASS in Maura's neat handwriting. She had seen her feed the tortoise plenty of times to know what to give him. She picked up the plate, replaced it with a clean one from the cupboard and put some salad on it. After that she took two of the British strawberries Maura bought especially for him and put the plate down on the floor.

"Strange" Jane said as her eyes wandered around the quiet kitchen and living area. She placed her hands on her hips and her eyes briefly lingered on the door she knew led to Maura's bedroom. "It is not like Maura to forget to feed Bass. She'd be more inclined to forget to feed herself"

"Well she had been drinking…" said Angela slowly but Jane shook her head.

"One can of beer" she corrected her mother. "She said it tasted funny anyway. She knew she had to drive herself home. Maura doesn't drink and drive…" Dark eyes swept over the living room with the inquisitive look of a detective, trying to find something that would tell her why Maura had not called her back. Everything seemed in place and as per usual it was all neat and tidy. Between Maura's OCD traits and her mother's fanatic cleaning, the Isles residence always looked like it was taken right out of a magazine for living rooms.

Jane took her cell phone from her pocket, hit the number 1 and placed it against her ear. The phone was ringing and she spun around when the high pitched sound penetrated her ears. Dark eyes widened when she slowly walked in the direction of the sound and came to halt just by the front door. There, under the table where Maura normally kept her car keys and her medical bag, lay Maura's cell phone on the floor, its caller ID screen flashing a rather unflattering picture of Jane whilst biting into a donut. It was Maura's attempt of a normal sense of humour. Jane hung up and turned to look at her mother.

"She came home…" she said slowly and Angela stared at her daughter without saying a word. In her head Jane imagined the brunette pathologist walking through the door, keys in one hand and phone in the other and her bag swung over her shoulder. She would have opened the front door, searched the wall for the light switch and stepped inside and turned around to close the door again… Jane's eyes found those of her mother. Angela seemed almost too nervous to move. "She went inside and then…"

"Vanished?"

Hearing Angela finish her sentence made that a chill crept down her spine and began dialling another number on her phone. She flashed a brief smile when her partner answered on the other side. An uncomfortable feeling held her hostage. She couldn't explain why. Hell, she didn't even know what it was. But something felt wrong. Jane's dark eyes remained fixed on Maura's white cell phone on the floor. She knew Maura was normally attached to her phone. "Hey Frost, sorry to call you on your day off but can you meet me at Maura's? And get Korsak on your way up here"

~()~

It only took Korsak and Frost an hour to get to Maura's. Both were dressed in casual attire and were greeted by Angela and two steaming mugs of coffee. Jane stood in the kitchen watching Bass eat as she clutched her own mug. She had done a sweep off the house and had found nothing out of the ordinary. And that was exactly what bugged her. Apart from Maura's phone, there was no sign that she had even been home. Jane had half and half hoped to find the clothes the doctor had worn the previous day in the laundry basket but it had been empty. There was no empty glass standing on the kitchen counter. It was part of Maura's bedtime routine to drink a cold glass of water before sleeping. A deep frown was now clearly visible on Jane's forehead and it was obvious she was thinking about something. The wheels in her brain were spinning, looking for something she couldn't quite see yet.

"Hey Jane, what's up?" asked Korsak as he and Frost walked into the kitchen. He seemed his usual bright self. His eyes snapped around the room, immediately registering the medical examiner's absence. "Where's Dr Isles?"

Jane's eyes snapped up and the uneasy feeling she felt could be heard in her voice. "I don't know"

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Frost asked. He cast a nervous glance at Bass before reaching Jane. "Is she not here?"

"Ma woke up this morning and noticed Maura had not come home. She thought she'd slept over at my apartment and came to make breakfast only… Maura didn't sleep over. Ma and I went back here and I noticed Bass did not have his dinner last night. Maura always feeds him at night time before she goes to bed. The car is not in the drive and…" She pointed at the door, at the phone lying on the table. She had left it there, knowing better than to touch or remove evidence from a crime scene. _Crime scene_. The words horrified her all of a sudden. Maura's house was a crime scene. "…That's what I found when I tried to call her…"

"So Dr Isles is missing?" Angela asked, her eyes drifting from Korsak to Frost and eventually to Jane. There was a hint of fear in her voice. The fear of a mother who couldn't find her child in the mall, the fear of a mother who realised a member of their family was gone. She took a step in her daughter's direction and for a moment she reminded Jane of what she had looked like the night she had come to stop at her apartment after Hoyt escaped. "Someone took her?"

Jane bit her lip and she glanced at Frost and Korsak. She nervously rubbed her hands together, her right index finger tracing the scar on her left hand. She knew that they knew what she was thinking. Her eyes flicked from Korsak to Frost. "I don't know…"

"Doyle?" Korsak whispered quietly enough for Angela not to overhear them. Angela Rizzoli didn't know about Paddy Doyle or his connection to Maura and Jane preferred to keep it that way. "Do you think he's behind this?"

"He wouldn't kidnap his own daughter. He wants her safe. He knows she is safe with…" Jane hesitated on the last word of her sentence. There was a tremor in her voice. That slight change of intonation betrayed her fear. Her fingers firmly closed around the warm mug in her hand as if desperate for the heat to comfort her. "Me." That last world made her feel like a failure. She had wanted to protect Maura from the moment they met. And up till yesterday she had managed quite well. But not anymore. "Besides, Doyle isn't really the type to knock. He rather kicks in the door."

"Mob kidnaps are not usually this clean." Frost agreed. His trained eyes swept around the room. "No signs of forced entry. Whoever they were, they waited for her to come home. Waited long enough for to get inside but they made their move before she could close the door. She had her phone, her keys…"

"Call Frankie and a bunch of uniforms. Let them make house to house calls and ask whether anybody noticed anything out of the ordinary last night. Get CSU out here and let them go over this place with a fine toothed comb. Start outside, the drive way and the street. If someone waited for Maura chances are they will have left something behind…" Jane interrupted her partner's trail of thought and glanced at Korsak as Frost took his phone from his pocket. "And I want to keep this quiet. If word of Maura's disappearance reaches Doyle…"

Korsak nodded slowly. "He'll try and get her back in his own way…"

Jane swallowed and her eyes fixed on Maura's phone lying on the floor. "And when Paddy Doyle's involved it means someone will die" Her dark eyes snapped back up. It was as if suddenly the strong, collected Jane Rizzoli emerged and pushed aside the Jane that felt emotionally torn apart. "Put out a BOLO on Maura's car. Even in Boston a blue Prius stands out. I want the footage from any cameras she may have passed on her way home to establish a timeline. Have them sent to headquarters. We'll go over them there…" She turned to look at her mother. "You'd better make some more coffee, Ma. This is going to be a long day"

Angela hurried into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cupboards in an attempt to find Maura's coffee. Jane watched her for a second before giving Korsak and Frost a look. The two detectives both headed to the front door, Frost already on the phone to Frankie. Once they were out of hearing range Jane wrapped a comforting arm around her mother' shoulder and pulled her close.

"It's gonna be all right, Ma"

Angela looked up. Her eyes swam with tears. "Shouldn't I be the one saying that, Janie?"

Jane flashed an uncertain smile. "Maybe"

"Who would want to kidnap Dr Isles?" Angela sounded desperate. "Do you have any idea who's got her?"

"A few" Jane answered. Her eyes darkened. "And each one is worse than the one before" She took her keys from her pocket and placed them in her mother's hand. "You'd better ask Frankie to drive you back to my apartment as soon as CSU gets here. Believe me, when those guys get here this will be the last place you'll wanna be"

~()~

"Anything on those traffic cameras yet?" Jane sounded hopeful but when Frost looked up from behind his computer she knew he was about to disappoint her. She grunted in frustration and ran her fingers through her hair. Suddenly she felt like she was back in the search for her former partner's daughter. It had eaten at her, knowing somebody had taken an innocent child. And now it tore her apart to know that someone had taken Maura. She remembered the day that Doyle kidnapped her, even if it had been for only a few hours and arguably for the right reasons. It had been the longest few hours of her life. Not even the pain she had felt when Hoyt's scalpel pierced her hand matched the pain she had felt when she thought she'd lost Maura.

She had long been aware of her feelings towards the brunette medical examiner. Whenever she laid eyes on Maura her heart would flutter. She had gotten used to the feeling simmering right under the surface. She had never questioned Maura's feelings towards her. She was afraid though Jane was not quite sure what of. Afraid to be disappointed, to have her heart broken, or to lose the most beautiful person she had ever met in her life? All of the above? She had given up on trying answering those questions a long time ago and her life had become a routine of acknowledging the feeling she had without ever truly wanting to know what they really meant.

Korsak walked in, clutching a folder thicker than his fist and Jane followed him with her eyes and watched him sit down at his desk. "What are those?"

"Enemies of Paddy Doyle, past and present"

Jane's eyes widened. "That file is thicker than the Bible!"

Korsak arched an eyebrow and split the stash of paperwork in half. "All the more reason to go through them together". Jane stood up, dragged her chair to Korsak's desk and sat back down. She looked at the paperwork in front of her and found a picture of a rather unpleasant looking man staring back at her. Were it not for his scarred face Jane thought he would have been attractive ones. His hair was raven black, like her own, but his eyes were striking; she could not remember ever having seen such intense blue eyes.

"Dermott Finnegan" she said and lifted up the picture. "Got a rap sheet longer than the Nile…" One of her eyebrows shot up. "Spent ten years inside for murder. Also got arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, several drug charges and…" Her eyes narrowed and she looked back at Korsak. "Kidnap"

"They all have at least one kidnap conviction" Korsak sounded cynical and he pointed at his own file. Jane immediately noticed he was right. A red haired young man with freckles and a pale skin named Tommy O'Brian. "It's the favourite method to get other families to talk"

"And all of these guys are connected to Doyle?"

Korsak nodded. "In some way or another"

Jane swallowed hard and she picked up the file that was stuck underneath that of Dermott Finnegan. "And how many of these are dead?"

"I already picked them out" Korsak answered with a crooked smile and Jane stared at him in disbelief. "All of these are still alive"

"This is going to take all day!" Jane exclaimed and ran her fingers through her unruly hair. She had removed the rubber band and it was now safely stuck around her wrist. "Korsak, we have to come up with something better if we want to find Maura! If any of these guys took her…" She swallowed and her voice trailed off. She could not even bring herself to speak out the things they would probably do to her if it meant they could get to Paddy Doyle. She rested her head in her hands. "How did they even find out who she is? The only people who know about Maura and Doyle is the three of us, my brother Tommy and Doyle himself"

"Tommy?" Frost piped up and Jane's head snapped in his direction.

"NO!"

"Jane…" Korsak tried slowly and her eyes now found his. He was not taken aback by her defensiveness. Most of the time it was part of Jane's charm. And unbeknownst to Jane Korsak knew exactly how she felt about her brother. She disagreed with what he had done but it was her natural sibling instinct to defend him. "Tommy's been in prison…."

"But he's out now! And Ma says he's doing real good!" Jane said firmly. There was anger flickering in her eyes. "He's still doing his dog walking job, he sticks to his parole. And I told him he couldn't talk to anyone about what happened that night. Not even to Ma. And he promised"

"He also promised your parents he wouldn't drink and drive anymore" Korsak said softly and covered Jane's scarred hand with his own. "Do you know if he has any contact with anyone who did time with him?"

"Tommy wouldn't…" Jane began but her words died in the back of her throat. She was overwhelmed by sudden sadness and she pulled her hand free from under Korsak's and pushed her chair back. She straightened her back as she stood up and her eyes briefly flashed from Korsak to Frost. Neither could quite read the look in her eyes. Jane turned around on her heel and began walking to the door. Korsak called her back.

"Jane, where are you going?"

She shot him a quick glance over her shoulder. "To talk to Tommy"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

After calling her mother to find out where Tommy did most of his dog walking Jane found him in one of Boston's many parks. It was reasonably quiet and he seemed to be bending over to pick something up. Jane didn't even allow herself to think about exactly what that was. She couldn't suppress a smirk when she realised the dogs with Tommy were small white poodle as well as a loud, rather obnoxious black and white Chihuahua. Locking the car behind her she approached her brother and tapped him on his shoulder. His head whipped around, for a moment looking confused at the sight of his sister, and he smiled.

"Hey little brother" she said with a smile and in the back of her mind tried to come up with the right words to ask whether he had accidentally revealed Maura's secret. She reached for one of the leads and took the Chihuahua from him. There was no way Jane Rizzoli would ever walk a poodle, bot even for her brother. "You busy?"

Tommy flashed a smile. There was something endlessly endearing about him. Jane had a soft spot for him, even if he did have a criminal record. She just would never admit it. Not to anyone. Especially not Tommy. He shrugged. "Nah. Just taking Lucy and Walter for a walk"

"Walter?" Jane asked and an eyebrow shot up as she eyed up the dogs circling her brother's feet. "Really? They named a Chihuahua Walter?"

"The poodle" Tommy clarified, pointing at the white dog and Jane chuckled. "Why are you here?"

"I err…." Jane started and began walking. Over excited Lucy seemed all too eager and was happily running around in attempt to trap Jane's legs in its lead. Every so often she barked, rather high pitched but Jane ignored her. She cast her brother a sideways glance. "I need to talk to you, Tommy, and it's important"

Tommy stopped walking and his hazel eyes pierced into his sister's coffee ones. "What happened this time, Jane? Did someone break into Dr Isles' home again?" He didn't even wait for her to answer. "Is this how it's gonna be from now on, huh? Every time something happens you're gonna come to me and ask if I had anything to do with it?" He went to grab the dog lead from Jane's hand but she was quicker and pulled away.

"Stop it!" Jane reprimanded him and her dark eyes were blazing. "This has _nothing_ to do with you!"

Tommy started back at her, defiantly. "Then what is it?"

"Did you tell anyone about Paddy Doyle?" Jane demanded and she saw recognition dawn in her younger brother's eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest in desperation as she stared at him. "Anyone at all?"

Tommy cocked his head. "Maura's dad?"

"Yes" Jane said urgently and took a step in her brother's direction. Tommy sensed her agitation and his eyes swept over his sister's face. In the time he had spent at the Isles residence he had noticed how intense the friendship between Jane and Maura was and when she had found him at Maura's house one early morning playing chess she had been less than amused. It was at that moment that Tommy knew he couldn't stay at Maura's any longer. He was intruding on something neither Jane nor Maura seemed to be aware of yet. Jane's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Did you tell anyone?"

"No! No one!" Tommy answered in pure honesty and stared at his sister in bewilderment. "Jane, what's going on?"

"When was the last time you stayed at Maura's?" Jane wanted to know.

Tommy knew his sister well enough to recognise the high pitched tone in her voice. It only ever came out when Jane was scared and she was trying to project her fear onto someone else. It had been like that ever since they were children. Tommy still remembered how she had nervously searched for his hand during their family visit to Salem. He was perhaps a felon, but Tommy had learnt to observe people in prison. He had learnt to recognise their behaviours. It had been the only way to survive. Knowing what others did meant he could stay out of trouble. Well, most times anyway. Nobody ever asked what that fight in the yard was over when he was due to come home early. But now that he looked at Jane he could see her fear; it was reflecting in her eyes.

"That day we were playing chess and Paddy Doyle decided to pay his daughter a visit" Tommy answered. "When you told Ma I forgot my keys I thought it was best to leave. You know what Ma's like. I found a place in South Boston. An old buddy from school is letting me crash on his couch…"

They had reached a park bench and Jane slowly sat down. Lucy, clearly not amused, began jumping up and down and Tommy bent down to remove the lead, reassuring Jane that she'd come back when called. Walter lay down at Tommy's feet, his head resting on his front paws. Lucy ran off onto the grass and within seconds later seemed engaged in a playful standoff with a small Jack Russell terrier. Jane watched them for a little while without really seeing them and then she looked back at Tommy to find him looking at her. His gaze dropped to her scarred hands.

"Ma never told me what really happened to you…" he said softly as he went to reach for his sister's hand. When she flinched he pulled back. "She just cried…"

"I'm surprised you didn't find out some other way" Jane said dryly and rubbed the back of her hands against her black slacks. They instantly hurt again. "Everybody knows about Hoyt. Most people probably know more about it than I do…"

"What's going on?" Tommy asked again, quieter this time.

"Maura's missing" Jane answered softly and instantly her brother's eyes widened. She turned to look at him. "She left my apartment last night after the party, made it home and then…vanished…"

Tommy stared at his sister in disbelief. "Missing?"

"They've put a BOLO out on her car. We found her phone inside the house but no sign that she actually ever made it further than the front door. Korsak and Frost are going over a whole list of Paddy Doyle's enemies but that could take days. Nobody knows about Maura's background apart from them, me and…" She paused.

"Me"

"I'm sorry Tommy but I had to ask"

"I understand, Jane"

"Really?" She arched an eyebrow. She had expected another prejudice outburst. "You're not going to throw all that 'you're only asking me because I am a felon' thing at me?"

"You love her" Tommy said with a little smile and watched how sister's cheeks instantly reddened.

Jane rolled her eyes though she could feel the blush spread across her face. She stared down at her feet and Walter looked right back at her. "Not you too…" She glanced at Tommy who stared back at her in amusement. "Please tell me you didn't mention that to Ma…"

"I didn't" Tommy winked and Jane smiled in relief. "Frankie did"

"Right, I need to get back to headquarters" Jane sighed and rubbed her eyes. She felt tense and her hands ached. She stifled a yawn. "God, I am so tired."

Tommy leant in and put his hand on her arm. His eyes found those of his sister. "You'll find her, Jane" he reassured her and Walter barked in agreement. Jane weakly smiled. Somehow it felt wrong for her young brother to try and reassure her. She was overwhelmed by an immense sense of guilt. Tommy squeezed her arm. "You're the best, Janie. And Maura knows that too"

Jane slowly stood up and looked at her brother. "Let's hope for her sake that whoever kidnapped her doesn't…."

~()~

"Tommy didn't talk to anyone about Maura" Jane said as she walked into the department to find Korsak and Frost standing around the latter's desk. Both looked up when the raven haired detective walked in and instantly she sensed there was something they'd found. Within seconds she closed the distance between the door and the desk and peered at the paperwork lying spread across Frost's desk. "What's up?"

"Korsak found some good candidates that would like to get back at Paddy Doyle" Frost said whilst pointing at some pictures. Each and every single one of those men looked mean and slightly twisted as they stared into the camera and Jane found herself sincerely hoping that none of them currently had Maura. Frost continued. "We have Ryan O'Connor. Born in Belfast but emerged in Boston twenty years ago. Did time for aggravated assault and several drug charges. It is rumoured that Doyle took out one of O'Connor's men…" He pointed at another mug shot. "Ronan Lynch. Small time drug dealer who crossed paths with Doyle years ago. Apparently they got in argument. Doyle won. Korsak thinks he might be trying to get even. What best way to kidnap Doyle's daughter?"

Jane shook her head and made a gesture towards the pictures. "Something about this just doesn't feel right…" She sighed and she nibbled on her bottom lip. "Anything on those cameras?"

"Frankie is going over them right now" Korsak said and Jane frowned. "What? He offered!"

Jane didn't answer and she walked into the observation room where she found her brother glue to one of the screens, meticulously going over the rather dark camera footage. Jane had never been a fan of traffic light cameras. The images were blurred and often so dark it was hard to recognise anything. But right now it was the only chance they had to try and establish a timeline for Maura's disappearance. She perched herself on the side of the desk. "Anything?"

"Found Maura's car at two different sets of traffic lights on the route from your apartment to her house" Frankie said and pushed some of the keys. Two rather messy and heavily pixelated images appeared on the screen and Jane recognised Maura's Prius instantly. It seemed strange looking at her this way; in a way that she would only ever look at a victim. Frankie looked at Jane and noticed the empty look in her eyes. "I am trying to blow up the images to see if it's her driving but every time I try they get even more blurry. I'll try and get Frost to do it for me"

"It's her driving that car, Frankie. She made it home. If it's someone else driving they wouldn't have taken her to her house to leave the phone behind. Did the uniforms learn anything during the house to house calls?" Jane sounded hopeful and Frankie tore his eyes away from the screen. Some dodgy looking van had just run a red light.

"No. It's a quiet street. Most of the neighbours had gone to bed by the time Maura came home and nobody noticed an unfamiliar vehicle parked outside Maura's house during the night…" Frankie managed a smile. "However someone did mention that there was a frequent visitor to the house at all hours of the day. Some tall, dark haired woman…"

"Shut up!" Jane hissed and punched her brother against his shoulder. An expression of mock pain flashed over his face. Jane sighed. "And _stop_ telling Ma I am dating Maura!" When he laughed Jane shook her head. "Frankie, this is serious!"

"Yeah a serious case of _infatuation_" Frankie grinned and Jane slipped off the desk and walked to the door. She turned around with the door handle in her hand.

"Find me something useful, Frankie. And don't you dare call for me unless you have something!" she snapped. It was a lot harsher than she had intended but she could not find the energy to apologise. Her brother stared at her in bewilderment for a moment and Jane eventually turned around and left the room. The door quietly closed behind her and she walked back to Frost and Korsak.

"Frankie's got Maura's car on two separate cameras. Neither of them shows anything out of the ordinary. House to house came up empty. Everybody was in bed and nobody saw a suspicious vehicle parked at the side of the road" Jane sighed and sank back into the chair. The frustration and desperation was overwhelming. It felt as if somebody had poured battery acid into her heart and was leaving her to burn from the inside out. "We have nothing"

Korsak's eyes fixed on Jane. Her elbows rested on her desk and she covered her face in her hands. He turned to look at Frost and they shared a meaningful look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Jane looked up at him and pulled a face. "I don't think I wanna know"

"You want to get in touch with Doyle?" Frost asked and Jane's head snapped in his direction.

"NO!" she exclaimed and shook her head. Her eyes darted from Korsak to Frost and back again. She couldn't deny that the thought had crossed her mind as soon as Maura had gone missing but she had managed to suppress it so far. She did not want to cross that line. But the thought had been there, simmering like a small fire in the back of her mind. All she had now was an intense headache; the type that was so intense that the light hurt her eyes and she felt slightly nauseated. "_No!"_

"C'mon, Jane" Korsak insisted. "He would be able to tell us who might know about Maura and shed some light on who would want to harm her to get to him…" He paused and his eyes met Jane's. He could tell she was thinking about. The torment was visible in her coffee coloured orbs. "Though I suspect that list might be endless"

Jane let her breath escape and ran her fingers through her messy hair. She wanted to go home, have a shower and wake up to find that this was all just a bad dream. She couldn't even believe herself when the words slipped from her mouth. She reluctantly looked at Korsak. "How do we get in touch with Doyle?"

Korsak gave her a knowing smile. "Do you still have that phone?"

"What phone?"

"The one you told Dr Isles you'd take to the crime lab last year but is really stashed in the back of your top drawer" Korsak answered with a knowing look and Jane nervously smirked.

"Oh _that _phone…" Jane said and her fingers automatically reached for her drawer. She didn't even know how Korsak knew it was there. It had been there since she had taken it from the morgue. Every so often she had opened it, looked at it without really knowing why it was still there, and then closed the drawer again. Maura didn't know she had it and she didn't plan on ever telling her. She didn't have to know.

Korsak voice roused her from her thoughts. "Call him, Jane"

Jane hesitated, her hand now hovering over the cell phone in her drawer. She nervously looked back at Korsak. "But Maura said not to…."

Korsak's eyebrow shot up. "It didn't stop you before, did it?" He paused and between the two of them they fully understood what he was trying to say. Both remembered that one particular day, last year. It was something nobody talked about. A secret to be kept. Jane averted her eyes and glanced down at the cell phone. Her fingers closed around the hard plastic as Korsak spoke again. "Maura is family, Jane. You do what you have to do to protect family…"

Jane picked up the phone, slipped it in her pocket and slammed her drawer shut. Its metallic bang echoed off the walls. Nobody spoke. She stood up, refused to make eye contact with Korsak and Frost and marched out of the department. Her heart pounded in her chest with every step. Both could tell the urgency in her stride. The door closed softly after her and she left a deafening silence behind.

~()~

Jane checked all the toilet stalls to make sure she was alone. Once she was reassured that nobody could overhear her she took the phone from her pocket and looked at it as it rested in the palm of her hand. It seemed to stare back at her, taunting her in this moment of desperation. She had made a promise to Maura and she was about to break it. She rested against the sinks and let her eyes trail up to meet her reflection in the mirror. She could see the dark rings around her eyes. She look slightly pale and her raven curls fell in an unruly mess down the sides of her face, accentuating her strong cheekbones and jawline. She took a few deep breaths before opening the register on the phone. There was only one number programmed in it. She hit the green dial button and prayed that her heart would stop racing.

The phone rang. And again. And a third time. There was a click as somebody answered.

"Detective Rizzoli…."

Paddy Doyle's voice made Jane's heart freeze. Her fingers closed a little tighter around the cell phone. "How did you know it was me?"

"Only three people know about this phone, detective. And we both know Maura wouldn't call me…" he answered and Jane had to admit that he was right. In fact Maura had practically forbidden her from calling Doyle. "And I expected you wouldn't either, detective"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" Jane said slowly and stared at her own reflection. There was no easy way of doing this and she chewed on her lip before speaking again. Her eyes flashed from the mirror to the door when she thought she could hear footsteps outside. "Maura's missing

"Someone kidnapped my daughter?" He sounded strangely clam for somebody who was just told his daughter was missing but Jane suspected that he was actually going over a list of possible suspects. She dreaded to think about what they would find once Doyle was let loose on anybody he suspected had kidnapped his daughter.

"I try not to make a habit of informing the mob about police business…" Jane hesitated and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "But if you have any information on who could have taken Maura…"

"My daughter, my business, detective" said Doyle slowly. It was not a statement. It was a warning.

"And let you jam an ice pick into another guy's head?" Jane retorted sharply and she was sure she could hear something that sounded like a soft chuckle on the other side. "Because that makes it my business"

"Remember what I said the last time we spoke, detective?" Doyle said softly and there was a pause. Both of them were left to remember their last phone call. It brought a chill down Jane's spine. "I'm one of the good guys"

"In your world there _are_ no good guys, Doyle" she answered and her voice was laced with venom. She glanced at herself in the mirror. Her eyes had darkened and her face was an image of anger. Right at this moment in time she hated herself for even making this phone call but when it came to Maura she would do anything to get her back, even if it meant working with her mob father. She would just have to make sure Maura never found out. She wasn't sure whether the medical examiner would forgive her. "Where's Maura?"

"Leave finding Maura up to me, detective" Doyle replied and Jane was unsure whether he was telling her to back off or whether he was toying with her and letting know he had methods to find Maura that she didn't. "She is my daughter, detective. You know I would never allow anything bad to happen to Maura"

"Gees, kicking down her door and threatening her at gun point says differently" Jane sneered. "Who else know she exists, Doyle?"

"No one" Doyle answered and Jane could hear him breathe heavily. A frown appeared on her forehead. "How's your head detective?"

"How's my…" Jane began and shook her head in confusion. The news of Hoyt's death hadn't even been released to the press yet. Nobody knew. Nobody apart from Doyle apparently. "How do you know?"

"I told you I'd be watching, detective" Doyle answered.

"Someone took Maura" Jane reminded him and rubbed her eyes. She was running out of patience and the irritation began to well up in the pit of her stomach. Frustration took over and the intonation of her voice changed when she spoke again. "Someone kidnapped your daughter to get back at you. Now who's got her?"

"Leave this to me, detective" Doyle said and Jane had to restrain herself from shouting at him. "This is a family matter…"

"Listen Doyle…" Jane hissed and clutched the phone a little bit tighter. "Maura might be your daughter but she is _my_ family! Now you tell me who would take Maura to get back at you or I swear to God I will hunt you down in a way that will make the Salem witch trials seem friendly. I expect the names by the end of the day. And if I find anybody with an ice pick in their heads before I find Maura…" She hesitated. "I'll make sure I'll tell her how you refused to help me"

"Goodbye detective" Doyle said simply and the connection was cut off. She knew he would not be bothered by her threats but she now knew that he understood how she felt about Maura. And the one thing Paddy Doyle had learnt about Jane Rizzoli since their paths first crossed was that she always kept her word.

Jane closed the phone and groaned to herself. She aggressively kicked against the metal trash can under the sink and it went flying across the toilet area, littering the floor with paper towels and other rubbish. Jane didn't stick around to clean it up and marched out of the door back into the precinct. Korsak and Frost both looked up when she walked in but neither of them said anything. Jane slipped into her seat and rested her head in her hands.

"Where the hell are you, Maura?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The sunlight filtered through the dirty curtains and she blinked a few times. She lay on her stomach and slowly her eyes opened and she began taking in her surroundings. As soon as she moved she became aware of the heavy pounding headache and a strange taste in her mouth. Her tongue darted out and she licked her lips in an attempt to recognise the taste, her eyes widening in a mixture of shock and fear. The dizziness came unexpectedly as she attempted to sit up and she lay back down, closing her eyes for a second. When she reopened them again the first thing she saw was the torn curtains and the grease covered windows through which the sunlight fell into the room. Only then did she become aware of what she was lying on. The mattress reeked of stale urine, a scent that penetrated her nose so unexpectedly that it made her feel sick even though she had smelled far worse things in her life. She suppressed her gagging reflex and tried again to move her libs. Her muscles protested and the pain was dull but profound.

Maura carefully reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Her fingers encountered a large lump on her forehead before brushing over the cut on her cheek. She could feel the dried blood and the beginnings of a crust starting to form and she swallowed hard. The aftertaste in her mouth was strong and burnt in the back of her throat. She took a deep breath and slowly began to move her body in an upright position. Once her feet touched the floor and her hands rested securely on the mattress she let her hazel eyes wander around the room. Apart from the window and the torn curtains there was no other form of light in the room. She glanced up to the ceiling. The light fitting did not have a bulb in it and electrical wires were sticking out. The room was scarcely decorated with what seemed to have once been a two-seater couch, a hand wash basin and a broken mirror. The wallpaper was peeling away, revealing the wooden panels underneath it. The wooden floorboards had seen better days and just underneath the window one plank was missing all together. A cold draft blew into the room through the partially open window. It tickled her face and she took a deep breath; her lungs eagerly expanded as she sucked in the fresh air.

Her hands and feet were not bound and she could move freely apart from the pain she experienced. The cold draft had numbed her joints and the mattress was uncomfortable; the springs had poked in her sides. She had no idea how long she had been here. Her gaze dropped down to her watch. The glass had shattered; it had stopped working. The sound of footsteps approaching made her look up and her eyes locked on the door. She watched the doorknob turn and her chest tightened as it opened.

"You…" she breathed when he walked into the room. His face immediately flashed before her eyes, appearing behind her as she stuck the key in the lock. His hand on her shoulder… He had spoken to her, startled her. She had turned around and then… She didn't remember anything else. She sank back down and crawled backwards on to the mattress, away from him. Fear crept into her heart and then her eyes and her voice. She clutched her chest, her eyes widening when he approached. The images in her head were blurred to say the least. She could not make sense of what was what. They were too scattered. She remembered the pain. It had been sharp and intense. "What did you do to me?"

"Have a guess, Dr Isles" he challenged her with a teasing smile. There was a twinkle in his eye but even know she could see beyond his amusement and recognised the menace. "Oh I forgot, you do not like to guess…" He cocked his head as he studied her face. She was so familiar to him. He could sense her fear. It excited him. His eyes raked over her body. She looked a mess, with a bloodied smudge across her face, messy strings of hair and a large bruise on her left cheek where her face had made contact with the frame of her front door when he attacked her. His eyes lingered on the deep cut just under her eye. "What do the facts tell you, doctor?"

She frowned for a moment. She could not remember what exactly happened but she remembered the scent. The odour had been pungent and instantly triggered a reaction. She reached up and touched her lips. The aftertaste reminded her of the sweetish burning she had experienced earlier. She felt disorientated, nauseated and experienced an intense headache. Her vision was slightly blurred as she stared up at him. The answer rolled from her lips with surprising clarity. "Trichloromethane"

"Very good, Dr Isles" he smiled as he took the small bottle from his pocket and showed it to her. It was about half full and the substance inside was colourless. "Chloroform." He paused. "Only a few inhalations is enough for you to feel woozy. Your hearing will go faint and distorted before your blood pressure drops and eventually you fall unconscious. Of course I do not have to remind you that it was once a preferred method of anaesthetic, Dr Isles." He smirked.

He walked towards the bed, coming to a halt beside her. "Now…" he began and extended a hand to let a strand of hair run through his fingers. She shivered as his fingertip made contact with her cheek. "Let's make this easy, Dr Isles…." His voice dropped, turning into a raw whisper. His index finger came to a rest on her pulse and he could feel her heart beat. "I need to send a message…" His other hand dipped into his pocket. "…to Jane…"

~()~

"Jane?"

Korsak's voice roused her from her slumber and her head snapped up. She hadn't even noticed she had fallen asleep at her desk, her head resting on her arms. The muscles in her back protested as she sat up. Her dark eyes found those of her partner and immediately saw the worry reflecting in his eyes. She forced herself to smile. "Yeah, I'm awake. I'm fine, honest" She ran her fingers through her hair. "What have we got?"

"CSU ran all the fingerprints they collected at Dr Isles' house through AVIS and after eliminating you, your mother, Frankie and Tommy and Dr Isles herself they didn't find any prints that didn't belong there. They did find some smudges on the door frame but they were unable to identify any of them as useable prints. One of the CSU guys found a small piece of latex consistent with a glove at the end of the drive…"

"Great, a kidnapper with a brain cell" Jane groaned. "When did criminals start to move up in the world of forensics?"

Her eyes drifted to the window. It had dark outside. She had been here for hours. Two empty coke cans and a half eaten pizza lay abandoned on her desk. Strangely enough now that she was awake the peperoni seemed even more appealing, even if it was cold. She reached for a slice and took a large bite before looking back Korsak. Some tomato sauce dripped down her chin and she caught it before it could stain her shirt. "We have got absolutely nothing…"

"It seems that whoever took Maura knew what they were doing" Korsak said and leant against Jane's desk. "The more I think about it the less it looks like a mob hit, Jane. Mod kidnaps tend to be messy and disorganised. They leave a trail of some kind because they want to send a message. They make demands, ask for ransom or leave the body to be found within hours. Prolonged kidnapping is not their style. To not send a message is unlike any mob kidnap I have ever dealt with."

"What are you saying? That this has got nothing to do with Doyle after all?" Jane looked slightly bewildered and dropped the cold pizza slice back in the box and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. As the scars made contact with her lips she briefly flinched. It was a natural response. She suddenly could beat herself up for contacting Doyle. Ha she just made things worse? "If not Doyle then who?"

"Jane…" Korsak said and she looked up at him. When their eyes met she realised there was something he wasn't telling her. She knew that look. It was the kind of look someone gave another person just before they were about to give them bad news. She had seen that expression on Korsak's face plenty of times before.

"What?" she demanded and her eyes searched his face. She couldn't cope with the pressure any longer. "_WHAT?"_

"CSU found traces of blood on the doorframe. It matched Dr Isles' DNA" Korsak said and the words came out so quickly that Jane needed a few second to process them.

"What? Blood? Like…" she began and her eyes nervously flashed all directions. She did not recall seeing blood that morning when she arrived at Maura's house. All that told her was that she had not been injured severely. Her throat became dry and she shook her head. Her heart was pounding in her chest, beating so fiercely against her ribcage that she thought it was going to burst out. "Maura's hurt?"

"CSU said it was found at eye level" Korsak explained and he could see how Jane was trying to fit the pieces together. "There was no blood anywhere else so…"

"Whoever took her most likely pushed her into the doorframe" Jane said and the anger laced her words. Someone had laid their hands on Maura; they had hurt her. They had taken her away from her. She clenched her fists and bit her lip. "They overpowered her, maybe smacked her face against the door to gain control… It may have knocked her out; the phone fell from her hand…" She paused and then looked up at Korsak. "Or she threw it into the house knowing that we'd find it…"

"Go home, Jane" Korsak said softly. "You look like hell"

She eyed him up. "No you look fantastic, sergeant detective Korsak"

"I mean it Jane. Don't make me turn it into an order. Go home, try and get some sleep…"

"Maura is out there somewhere, Korsak, and you expect me to go home and sleep?"

"You were sleeping at your desk, Jane. I have never known you to sleep at your desk. I know you want to stay here and try and find Maura but the only way you will be able to do that is if your mind is fresh. Go home, have a shower, try and get some sleep…" Korsak spoke to her like a parent would speak to a child. "I promise I'll call you if we find anything?"

"What, and you're staying here?" she asked. She seemed slightly insulted over the fact Korsak had even dared suggesting she'd go home. She rolled eyes and the expression on her face reminded Korsak of a teenager who was the only one not to recieve an invite to the party of the year. "You and Frost are staying here and you expect me to crawl into my bed and just sleep?"

"Jane, this is personal for all of us but for you it is more than that" Korsak said and put his hand on her shoulder. She looked at his hand for a moment. They had been partners for years. She knew him like very little people knew him. And he knew her well enough to read through the tough mask she wore on a daily basis. Never before had she looked at him as a father figure but maybe now, with her parents' divorce, she did. And she smiled weakly. Korsak's eyes found hers. "I know how you feel about her and I know what this is doing to you"

"The next person that says I am dating Maura will end up in Maura's morgue…On her table…" Jane grunted and rubbed her eyes. She was tired. Her body ached all over and she knew her brain wasn't as sharp as it was on any other day. She knew she couldn't stay here but going home felt like abandoning Maura. She was out there somewhere. It was night time now. It had been nearly twenty four hours and nobody had even the slightest idea who took her. They couldn't even figure out what the hell happened between Maura leaving her apartment and her coming home.

"Janie?" It was Angela.

Jane's eyes widened and she stared at Korsak. "You called my _mother_?" she said accusingly. "I thought you said you wanted me to relax?"

"The last thing I need is for Traffic Control to pull you over for dangerous driving" Korsak answered and Jane arched an eyebrow.

"You've never got in a car with Ma have you?" she said before patting him on his arm. She stood up, stretched out with a loud moan and then watched her mother walk up to Frost, clearly looking for information on Maura. She picked up her jacket, swung it over her arm and walked up to Angela before being stopped in her tracks by an unknown uniformed officer who walked into the department carrying a small, manila envelope. He looked around, eyeing up the people standing in the homicide department. Jane had a vague recollection of having seen him around.

"Detective Rizzoli?" he asked and Jane spun around when she heard her name. Behind her Frost, Korsak and Angela all looked up.

"That's me" she said slowly and extended her hand. The young police officer handed her the envelope and Jane briefly let her eyes dance over the man's face. He was about Frankie's age, she guessed, with dirty blonde hair and grey eyes. And instantly she remembered where she had seen him. He and Frankie had finished the Academy together. She looked back down at the envelope. "What's this?"

"It was left for you at the front desk couple of minutes ago. Nobody saw who left it there. Desk sergeant cleared it and asked me to bring it up to ya" he answered with a strong Massachusetts accent and gave her a polite nod.

"Thanks" Jane said apprehensively and turned the envelope over in her hand. Of course there was no return address. There was no post mark either so it must have been hand delivered. Her name was written in large capital letters across the front in a neat, tidy handwriting that she didn't recognise. The paper felt smooth against her skin and it didn't weigh anything at all.

"Here" Korsak said and handed her a set of purple latex gloves and a pair of scissors he had grabbed from his desk.

Jane struggled to get her now clam hands into the pair of gloves before picking up the scissors; her hands shook ever so slightly as she slowly cut along the edge of the envelope. She could heart the intense pounding of her heart and a sense of anticipation filled the room. The narrow strip of paper she cut off she put down on the desk and then slowly pushed the envelope open and peered inside. She couldn't quite see what was in it so she held out her left hand and shook the context out into her outstretched palm.

She gasped in shock.

"What is it, Jane?" Angela asked. She stood behind Jane and could not see what had just fallen into her daughter's palm.

Jane brought one gloved hand to her mouth and her dark eyes snapped up to meet Korsak's. He stared back at her, horrified. Neither of them spoke. Jane's gaze dropped back the item in her hand and right at that second her heart skipped a beat. Suddenly she felt numb. Her legs went weak and the nausea just came out of nowhere. There, in Jane's outstretched open palm, lay a silver scalpel, its blade stained with blood.

"Is that… a scalpel?" Frost eventually broke the silence. He too was wearing a set of gloves and he carefully picked the blade up from out of Jane's hand and held it up to eye level. The blood around the edges was dried and the silver metal glistened in the precinct room lights.

"Yes…" Jane breathed. She was now positively shaking. Fear was a horrible emotion. The one she hated the most. Fear reminded her that she had a weakness. The scalpel only symbolised one thing in her life. A never ending nightmare. She removed her gloves and automatically began rubbing her scars. The pain was suddenly as intense as it had been when the blades had first pierced through her skin. Tears burnt behind her eyes and she stared down at the floor, unable to look anybody in the eye as the fear overwhelmed her. "Yes, it's a scalpel. And it's a message…"

"What does it mean?" Angela asked carefully and Jane looked up. The tears glistened in her eyes.

"It means that none of this has got anything to do with Paddy Doyle" she answered softly and her gaze drifted to the dark window. It had started to rain outside and the raindrops trickled down the dark glass. The words hurt as they left her lips. "This is about Hoyt…"

"Hoyt is dead" Frost said firmly, his eyes fixed on Jane. The pain was clearly visible on her face. He had watched from the side lines over the last two years how Jane suffered under Hoyt's torment. She had never talked to him about him. He had been frustrated at first, they were partners after all, but after he witnessed what had happened in the hospital wing two days ago, he understood. She couldn't talk about it. And Frost had vowed to himself that he would never ask. For Jane's sake.

Jane shook her head. "Well, someone clearly wants me to think he isn't even though I felt his heart stop under my own hands…" She began pacing, still rubbing her hands together. "It just never freaking ends! This… Maura being kidnapped… is about Hoyt!" She shook her head and came to a halt by the window. She watched her own reflection in the darkened glass. The images of what had happened in that basement as well as the hospital wing flashed through her mind, blurring together before eventually forming the face of Charles Hoyt. Her voice dropped to a dangerous low and her eyes darkened.

"Hoyt may be dead but clearly he got another apprentice…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It felt wrong to be at home. Jane paced around her living room, unable to settle down to sleep. A half empty bottle of beer stood on the coffee table. She was wearing a pair of grey sweatpants, an oversized baseball jersey and her damp black ringlets fell down the sides of her face. Worried eyes were following her every move and eventually Jane stopped pacing and turned to look at the person sitting on her couch.

"Will you _please_ stop staring at me?" she snapped.

"Sorry" Angela said quietly and averted her eyes.

Jane had followed Korsak's orders and had gone home. Angela had insisted she'd stay and she saw to it that Jane had a shower and something to it. But when she had attempted to persuade her to go to bed Jane had exploded and Angela had been left to watch how the pain was yet again eating away at her daughter. It hurt her, seeing Jane like this. And the fear it brought to her own heart, knowing someone out there was out to harm her child, made that Angela had refused to leave.

"Hoyt kills couples. That has always been his signature. He rapes the wife and makes the husband watch before he slits their throats…He preferred torture over kidnap" Jane said slowly and she turned her hands over so she could look at the scars that monster had left behind. They were supposed to be a reminder of her victory but during this moment they were a reminder of her flaws. She had let her guard down. She had allowed herself to be hurt. Never in her career had she encountered a sicker individual than Charles Hoyt and Jane sincerely hoped she never would again. Her fingers slipped up to the side of her neck and brushed along the thin cut across her skin. That had been her biggest mistake yet. Bigger than the scars on her hands.

"But Hoyt went for you…" Angela reminded her and Jane's dark eyes found those of her mother. She could see her pain and felt a sharp pang of guilt. She knew what terror her family had gone through. They had all suffered. Angela cocked her head. She did not want to talk about him. Jane didn't know that Hoyt gave her mother nightmares too. Angela couldn't bring herself to tell Jane, knowing it would only increase the guilt she already felt. "Is that why you never told Dr Isles how you feel?"

Jane picked up her beer but instead of drinking it she idly played with it. Her fingers followed the shape of the bottle. It had been the reasoning she had always given herself for not telling Maura how she felt, how she really felt. She had been aware of her simmering feelings for as long as she could remember. But she had been too afraid to act on them. Not because she thought Maura would reject her but because of Hoyt. "I couldn't put her in danger like that"

Angela swallowed. Her voice was a whisper. "But she was put in danger. Because he figured it out. And you are standing there beating yourself up over it when there is nothing you can do about it."

"I don't want to talk about Hoyt" Jane said dismissively and cut her mother off. "I don't want him to have any more power over me"

"How long have you known?" Angela asked softly and Jane's eyes finally found her mother's again. The pain was clearly visible on her face and when Angela patted the sofa for Jane to sit down beside her, she did. She put the beer bottle down and curled her legs up underneath her. Angela's eyes swept over her daughter's tormented face and was briefly reminded of how Jane had come home one day, just fifteen years old, crying because someone had broken her heart. "How long have you known about Dr Isles?"

"Maura?" The name rolled off her lips with such ease. "Too long" There was a little smile and she glanced at her mother. She never quite understood how she did it. This always knowing what other people were feeling business. "How did you know?"

"I see the way she makes you smile, Janie. I see how your eyes follow her when she walks into the room. You relax when you're around her. Not to mention that finding your clothes at her house gave me plenty of reasons to think you were doing a little more than just watching baseball" Angela said and put her hand on her daughter's arms. The touch was gentle, comforting. "Why did you never tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you're…you know…"

"Gay?" Jane's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Angela nodded. She had never thought about sexuality before. Actually, that wasn't entirely true. She had thought about her sexuality many times throughout her life. Especially since meeting Maura but even before. It was why she had never responded to any of Joe Grant's invitations and why she had told Gabriel Dean she wasn't ready and she deleted the messages he left on her answering machine. It was why she had not felt insulted when Jorje had assumed she _was_ gay. It was why she was still single. Because she knew, deep down, none of them were suitable. They didn't understand her. They couldn't relate to the pressure of the job, the long hours, the closeness of death and the fact that she felt a certain need for control. Yeah, somewhere deep down she had known. She had just never talked about it. About any of it. With anyone. Not even with Maura. And _especially_ not with her mother. She nervously fingered a strand of hair and shook her head. "I err… I didn't….I didn't know…"

"Really?" The way Angela said it suddenly reminded Jane how much they were alike and the realisation slightly horrified her. "You wanted to build a fort in your room, Jane. You _hated_ the pink canopy your father and I bought you. You cut off the hair of your Barbie doll because you wanted her to look like Frankie's G.I Joe and if I am not mistaken you currently still hold the record in arm wrestling in the neighbourhood…" She arched an eyebrow. "I think the only person actually surprised is you, baby"

Jane couldn't suppress a smile.

"Have you actually ever kissed a girl?" Angela curiously inquired.

"Ma! I am thirty six, not sixteen!" Jane cried out and leapt to her feet. "I think I know the difference by now!"

"I was just checking…" Angela said, looking slightly bemused. "And Dr Isles…"

"Maura…" The mention of Maura's name reminded Jane of exactly what was happening. She stared at her mother. "Hoyt's apprentice took Maura…" She sank back down beside her mother when the daunting truth hit her and then suddenly she launched forward to grab her cell phone. She dialled Frost's number and gave her mother a look that was enough to shut her up. "We need to look at who Hoyt had contact with before he died…"

Her partner answered the phone after just two rings but it still felt like an eternity to Jane. "Frost"

"Hey, you think we can get a list of all the people who ever visited Hoyt in prison?" Jane asked and she recognised the sound of computer keys in the back ground. She had no idea why anyone would ever want to see him but she knew they had to start somewhere. "I know his contacts were limited"

"Prison's visitor log should be able to tell us that" Frost answered. "I'll get on it. Hoyt spent most of his time in solitary with only an hour a day out in the yard. Korsak already checked out all the prison guards who were looking after him. They worked in solid partnerships and all have come back clean so far. Nobody stands out. The maximum security prison where he was before being transferred has sent us three boxes full of fan mail. Frankie's going over it right now"

"Fan mail?" Jane repeated in disgust. "People were actually writing to that monster?"

"He's got quite a few marriage proposals as well as letters from admirers" Frost said and Jane felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. She could not imagine anyone could admire a monster like Hoyt, let alone marry one. "No one stands out so far. Hey, have you had any sleep yet?"

Jane sat back and ran her fingers through her hair. "No. The only way I'll sleep is when Ma knocks me over the head with a baseball bat" She gave her mother a look. "And that was not a suggestion!" She sighed. "We should look into his past. Hoyt's first apprentice was John Stark. They served in the army together, the same medical unit. He could have met this apprentice anywhere, even well before he was locked up."

"Jane, that leaves us with an endless list of possibilities. We have to narrow it down. After being kicked out of medical school Hoyt moved around the country. It's one of the reasons the FBI thinks he killed more people than we know off…"

"We know he came back to Boston" Jane interjected. "When he killed that family in 2005 he was working for a mobile blood donation clinic that visited Boston College. It was where he met his victims and it was the perfect hunting ground…" Now that she was talking about Hoyt she felt strangely alive, empowered even. She sat up, her back straight, and her eyes alert. Her hatred towards him, the pain he had caused, was her fuel. "See if you can find anyone who worked in that clinic with him. And get Korsak to trace down the details of his time in medical school"

She hung up and looked at Angela, who was staring back at her. "What?"

"He motivates you" Angela whispered slowly and Jane wasn't sure whether she understood what her mother meant. But what she did understand was the confusion in her mother's eyes. "The fear, it makes you want to fight even harder."

"Some nutcase associated to Hoyt took Maura, Ma" Jane sharply reminded her and stood up. "_That _makes me want to fight even harder" She had reached the door before her mother even had a chance to respond and turned. "Are you coming or not?"

"Where are we going?" Angela asked in surprise and Jane sighed.

"Back to headquarters."

"But you haven't slept!" Angela protested and Jane gave her mother a dark glance.

"I can sleep when I'm dead, Ma" she said slowly and grabbed her badge and gun from the kitchen counter. "Right now I need to find Maura."

~()~

Jane pushed the doors to the homicide department open and was greeted by the distinct smell of Chinese take away and freshly brewed coffee. Her eyes scanned the room and found a collection of cartons standing on detective's Crowe's desk. She smirked. He would be less than grateful for that in the morning. Her eyes then found Frost and Korsak, both behind their computers. The elder detective looked up and when he saw Jane he shook his head.

"Didn't I send you home?"

She gave him a look. "Until we find Maura, this_ is_ home" She and Korsak shared a look that didn't need words. She knew he understood and when he flashed a smile she knew he was all right with her being here. She pulled up a chair and sat down beside Frost. "What have we got?"

"Prison sent us the visitor logs for the time that Hoyt was inside. Just cross referencing the names in the system to see if anyone pops up. So far nobody other than FBI Agent Dean, you, Dr Isles and his lawyer" Frost answered. "Seems nobody else was particularly fond of seeing him"

"Gees, big surprise. Anything in the fan mail?" Jane asked, her eyes finding Korsak.

"Whole bunch of whack jobs" Korsak groaned. "I'm surprised half of those idiots are even allowed to walk the streets. I don't get people sometimes. Ten different women begging for Hoyt to marry them and Frost here is still single!"

"Maybe I should be a serial killer too" Frost sounded cynical. "I would actually get laid then"

"Don't fret, Frost. I like you just the way you are" answered Korsak with a crooked grin.

"Shame you're a dude" Frost answered and Jane smiled at the playful banter between the two men. "But seriously though, why would any woman want to marry a convicted serial killer? I've seen pictures of them… they aren't even ugly!"

Jane snorted. "So, what, only ugly women are allowed to correspond with people in prison now?"

"Jane?" It was Frankie. He appeared through a side door, clutching an envelope and seemed clearly surprised to see his sister sitting between Frost and Korsak. His eyes found hers when he reached the desk. "What are you doing here?"

"I killed Ma and thought I'd hand myself in"

"Ha ha very funny" Frankie sounded serious and handed a simple plain white envelope to Korsak. "I think I found something"

Jane's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Always the tone of surprise" Frankie commented. "I did get a 96 on my detective's exam, sis"

"Don't let that get to your head, bro" Frost answered and pointed at Jane. "You have a long way to go before you're anywhere near her league"

"Thanks for the support man" Frankie grunted and turned back to Korsak. "This dude seems strange. Well, stranger than all the other sick freaks who wrote to Hoyt…"

They all watched in anticipation as Korsak removed a neatly folded letter from the envelope. It was immediately clear to Jane that it had been opened and refolded many times. The lines across the paper were sharp and it looked like the paper was about ready to fall apart. It sparked a sense of curiosity inside of her. Hoyt had clearly read this letter many, many times.

"What does it say?" Frost asked.

_"You are the master of the art. I have never known a hand more skilled than yours. There is a finesse to the way you allow a blade to follow its natural path. To observe you, to watch how you perfected the art, makes me proud. I hope that one day I can make you proud. I would never dare to reach the perfection of the master but I hope to feel the quiet dying of a human heart underneath my fingers like you have felt it under yours…"_

"Ew" Jane shivered when Korsak finished reading. When she looked around she could tell that the others too were horrified. "And they actually allowed stuff like this to reach Hoyt?"

"Prison authorities have the right to read inmates mail if they feel there is a need to. Privacy is not to be expected inside. This mainly concerns outgoing mail but can be applied to incoming mail too" Korsak said and he turned the letter over. There was no postage mark, only the address of the prison and Hoyt's name. "This letter doesn't look it was processed at a post office, nor does it bear a prison stamp that said it was cleared, which means it could have been hand delivered by the writer itself" He glanced at Frost.

"There are security cameras all around the prison" Frost said, his fingers flying over the keyboard before reaching for the phone. "When was that letter dated?"

"August 2010" Korsak answered.

"I'll get the prison to send us the camera footage from a week prior to that date" Frost answered. "If someone hand delivered it, they camera may have caught them doing it"

"Why would Hoyt's apprentice target Maura?" Frankie asked and Jane let her eyes drift up until she met his. "Didn't Hoyt target couples? If he has got another apprentice then why you? Why Maura?"

Jane sighed. It was the same question her mother had asked her earlier that evening. She brushed a stubborn curl out of her eyes and nibbled on her lip. "Yes, he did. But I think that when Maura went to see him last year to try and get information on James and Emily Stern he drew his own conclusions when she asked him if he planned on killing me…" Suddenly her eyes lit up and her head whipped around and she looked at Korsak. "Whoever Hoyt's apprentice is knows about that visit! It was part of _our_ investigation. Only very few people knew Maura actually spoke to Hoyt!"

"Are you saying Hoyt told someone?" Frost asked and his eyes fixed on Jane. "Or that it's someone from the inside?"

Jane leapt out of her chair and began pacing around. She chewed on her fingernails and her eyes darted around the room, not focusing on anything in particular. "I don't know…I don't know…"

Frankie looked at his sister pacing around the room. "Is that why targeted you the other day? In the infirmary?" His eyes flashed between Korsak and Frost. They merely gave him a look. The pieces seemed to fall into place. "Hoyt thought you and Maura are a couple?"

"Who knows what Hoyt thought" Jane sounded agitated. "Hell, I didn't even think that …" She suddenly seemed to become aware of what she was actually saying and she stared at the three men. "No…"

"Think what? That Maura loves you?" Frankie asked and walked up to his sister. He took both her hands and forced her to look up to him. The younger sibling was comforting the older one. It seemed wrong to Jane. It was her job to protect and look after Frankie, not the other way around. "Oh Jane... "

"Listen Jane, you're a phenomenal detective but sometimes you are as socially awkward as Dr Isles" Korsak said with a smile. "I have seen the way she looks at you" When he glanced at Frost and found him nodding he carried on. "We have _all_ seen the way she looks at you!"

"Yeah well this little love confession can wait" Jane said dismissively and looked around. "Hoyt is dead so unless he kidnapped Maura from the grave we had better find out who the hell is trying to make me thing he is still alive…"

"You're seriously thinking he's got another apprentice?" Frankie asked. "Positive?"

"He's already had three. John Stark, Emily Stern and that thick headed prison guard who was just in it for the fun" Jane grunted. "Who's to say that he didn't have time to find another one?" Frankie's hands slipped away from hers. Suddenly she missed the comfort. "Where would he have met him? He's been in solitary throughout, even when in the infirmary. Prison logs show no surprising visitors…"

Korsak reached for the phone. "I'm calling Agent Dean"

"What? NO!" Jane shouted and Korsak looked up at the sudden outburst of disapproval. She stared at him, dark eyes blazing.

"Jane, the Feds have access to information we can't get to. They have a whole file on Hoyt's past" Korsak said, his fingers hovering over the number three. "We need help"

Jane looked defeated. "I know. I just don't want _his_ help…"

The sharp ringing of Frost cell phone made them all look up and he quickly answered it. The tension in the room was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Jane felt tired and frustrated whilst at the same time being alert and on edge. She was angry. The anger rushed through her veins, ate away at her heart. Even from beyond the grave Hoyt still tormented her. She had hoped for closure. Hell, in the first seconds after jamming the scalpel straight through his heart, she had believed she had found it. That was until she looked at his face and knew that those empty eyes would follow her forever.

"That was the crime lab" Frost said slowly and the change in his voice alarmed Jane. "They ran a DNA test on the blood on the scalpel…"

Jane covered her mouth with her hand and she felt the tears sting behind her eyes. "Oh God no... Please…"

"It belongs to Maura..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The blood felt warm as it slowly trickled down her skin. She knew the cut wasn't deep enough to kill her but still she pressed her fingers tightly against her neck in an attempt to stop the bleeding. She watched the burgundy drops trickle through her fingers, seep down her arms and drip into the mattress. A small pool of blood had begun to form on the dirty sheets. She knew that she had to remain calm. A low heart rate would keep her blood pressure under control. She felt tired and light headed and slowly she lay back down on the mattress, curled up onto her side and brought her knees up to her chest. Her eyes were fixed on the darkened window. Night time had fallen. A day had gone by. And she had no idea how long she would stay here, whether he would try and kill her or whether he enjoyed to see the terror in her eyes whenever he entered the room.

The blade had felt cold against her flesh, a sharp contrast against her attacker's surprisingly warm hands. She had forced herself to look up into his eyes. He hovered over her, like a mountain she knew she could not conquer. His eyes had been so empty, so dead. It was what had scared her most. How he had seemed so emotionless when the blade pierced her skin and began to draw blood. It wasn't until the blood touched his fingers that the life returned and the way his lips curled up frightened her perhaps as much. When he had stepped back and watched what he had done she had been unable to move. The fear had paralysed her in a way she had never experienced before. She had followed him with her eyes and watched how he inspected her blood on the blade before he left the room.

And now she was alone, with the blood still gently trickling through her fingers. She was scared. She thought about Jane. Would she have noticed she was gone? Was she looking for her?

The thought of the raven haired detective brought a little smile to Maura's pale face. Jane. There wasn't a day that she didn't think about Jane. She remembered standing over her, watching the other woman sink off into a quiet alcohol induced slumber. She had seemed so innocent. Maura's eyes had lingered on the cut on Jane's neck as well as the large bruise on her forehead. She had fought to save her from Hoyt. Jane had fought with all her might. And as Maura had watched Jane sleep she had realised that she never wanted to spend another day apart from this woman. And now here she was, in a dirty old room, bleeding from another cut on her neck and her mind still blurred. And outside the door her attacker lurked, waiting to strike again. She could not explain how she had not seen it coming. How could she not have known?

How had Maura Isles become so blinded?

~()~

He approached her way too quickly, came way too close way too soon. She found herself hesitantly taking a step backwards, away from his slightly awkwardly stretched out arms. They now fell down beside his body and she would swear she saw disappointment and hurt flash through his eyes. Seeing him was just another reminder of Hoyt. She could not separate FBI Agent Gabriel Dean from the man who had on several occasions try to take her life. And as he stood in front of her, dressed in one of his immaculate and expensive suits as always, she was reminded of the sobering fact that yet again he was here because of Hoyt. He was only ever here because of Hoyt.

"Jane…" he said slowly and his eyes lingered on her face before dropping down to the narrow cut across her neck.

"Agent Dean" Korsak came to her aid and walked up to Dean with an outstretched hand. Jane felt a sudden sense of gratitude for her partner for saving her right now. She didn't know what to say. She didn't want to say anything at all. Dean turned towards Korsak and shook his hand. The older detective seemed impressed. "That was quick"

"I was at the Boston field office when you called" Dean answered and he turned back to look at Jane. She avoided his gaze but she could feel him taking in her appearance. Dressed in sweatpants and an oversized baseball jersey she looked rather different from her usual, professional self. Dean's eye narrowed ever so slightly. "We were discussing the circumstances and details of Hoyt's death…"

"Of course you were" Jane said harshly and she ran her fingers through her hair. "Tell me Agent Dean, do you believe in ghosts?"

"Ghosts?"

"Yes" Jane clenched her teeth. She had never been the patient type but the lack of sleep meant that she was even more on edge than usual. She was about as dangerous as a hand grenade right now. "Because it damn well looks like Hoyt kidnapped Maura!"

"Maura?"

Jane couldn't quite believe that Dean actually repeated the medical examiner's name with a questioning look in his eyes. Her heart was racing in her chest and with every minute that passed they were getting further and further away from finding her. She clenched her fists together and just as she was about to speak, Dean cut her off.

"Kidnaping just one person has never been part of Hoyt's MO" he said. "Besides, I saw his body."

Jane blinked and she felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. "You-you saw him?

"Dead as a dodo" Dean answered with a shrug "So unless we now also believe in zombies, Charles Hoyt did not kidnap Dr Isles"

She noticed how he didn't call her Maura.

"It's a good thing we don't believe in zombies then" Frost piped up and four sets of eyes fixed on him. He had come to Jane's defence and she sent him a quick smile. He accepted it with a smile of his own. It was what partners did. They had each other's back, even when it came to awkward situations with slightly obnoxious FBI agents. Frost picked up the letter Korsak had read out earlier and handed it to Dean. "We found this."

Dean read the letter for what felt like an eternity. Jane watched his eyes fly over the sentences as she tried to determine exactly how many times he read it. She had wrapped her arms around her chest, her fingers impatiently drumming against her arms and she was started pacing again. When Frankie shot her a warning look, fully familiar with her sister's Italian temperament as he was, she merely gave him daggers in return. Finally Dean's eyes snapped up and the first ones he found were Jane's.

"Another apprentice?" He sounded like he didn't quite believe the possibility.

"Of a different kind" Korsak clarified and curiously Jane turned to him. With his years as a detective she had no reason to question anything he said. He had spent many years chasing after a lot of bad people. Charles Hoyt was one of them. "The letter is not submissive. The writer doesn't want to place himself below Hoyt. It shows appreciation. He puts himself beside him, like equals. There is no mention of an established relationship as such so Hoyt is not the alpha…"

"Hoyt would never have worked with another alpha male. It is not how his psyche works. His psychopathic nature would have made him unable to conform to another's authority. That sense of power is what he got off on" said Jane and she could remember him clearly lying in that hospital bed, looking almost peaceful. The image sickened her. "Hoyt was the alpha with all his apprentices. Whoever wrote this letter… they are completely different from any of the others"

"Any idea who may have sent it?" Dean wanted to know.

Frost took a breath. "We're working on that"

Jane rubbed her eyes. "I'm going to get a coffee. Anyone else want one?"

When no one answered she pulled a face, pushed her hands into her pockets and walked out of the homicide department squad room and made her way to the elevator. She got in, watched the doors slide shut and finally, for the first time since all of this started, she was alone. Jane closed her eyes and let a soft, quiet sob escape from her throat. She felt so terribly guilty it was tearing her heart apart. She blamed herself for what was happening to Maura right now and she knew she would never be able to live with herself if anything happened to the medical examiner.

As she stepped out of the elevator and walked to the main entrance doors she felt someone catch up with her. His hand fell on her shoulder before she even had a chance to turn around. The touch made her spin around and her dark eyes snapped up meet his. The last thing she wanted right now was to talk to him but it looked like he wasn't leaving her any other choice. She would have to face the music.

"You never called me back"

Her lips formed a thin line. "You're right, I didn't"

"Are you going to tell me why?"

"Most men get the message when a woman doesn't return their calls but in your case I'd be glad to make an exception."

"I don't' remember doing anything to earn such a sharp response, detective" Dean said, his eyes still piercing into Jane's.

Jane shook her head. All she had come down here for was to get a cup of coffee from the 24/7 coffee bar around the corner. She didn't come down here to have to talk to him and explain why she had never bothered to call him back. It was neither the time nor the place. She was tired and grumpy and to be honest, and she was honest, she thought he was a dickhead anyway. "Try not sleeping for two days and we'll talk again..."

"And you think coffee is going to help you with that?"

"No, it's going to help me find Maura"

"Maura…"

He did it again. Much to her irritation.

"Yeah, you know her. Medical examiner, caramel hair, hazel eyes." _Beautiful_. "Sounds like an encyclopaedia every time she opened her mouth…"

He looked at her and she could see something change behind his eyes. "That's what this is about, isn't it?"

"Really? Gees, I thought it was about whether the Red Sox would win the League this season" Jane rolled her eyes and firmly placed her hands on her hips. "Of course it's about Maura! In case you haven't noticed, she is missing!"

Dean shook his head and his eyes tried to capture Jane's but she was reluctant to meet his gaze. "She is the reason you haven't returned any of my calls"

"Are you here to lecture me or to help me because frankly, I don't want either" Jane snapped. She knew she was being mean and perhaps it was not what he deserved, but she could not bring herself to argue about ignored phone calls when they were trying to find Maura. Not to mention that getting some of the frustrations out was a wonderful feeling and right at this moment Jane really didn't care whether she had just broken his heart.

Suddenly there was an urgency to him. He took a step in her direction but didn't touch her. "Listen to me, Jane. This is not one of Hoyt's apprentices. Not like the others anyway. Hoyt recruited those apprentices. This guy came to him. He is an admirer. A fan, if you like. He is trying to be Hoyt, he wants to become him. But even more so he is trying to tell you something"

"Really?"

"People this obsessed with another person believe they are destined to be with them, in whatever shape or form. He knows what you mean to Hoyt. Hoyt means the same to him…" Dean said slowly and the look in Jane's eyes softened,

"He wants to kill him? Too bad, already done."

Dean's eyes narrowed and from the way his voice dropped Jane knew he was deadly serious. "The obsession, Jane. Hoyt was his obsession, just like you were Hoyt's obsession. An antagonist as well as a protagonist. Hoyt will have brought out the best as well as the worst in him. He needs him in his life yet he knows he shouldn't. If you ask me, this guy knows Hoyt is dead even though the media haven't published the story yet. You killed Hoyt, Jane. You took the object of his obsession away from him."

"So he is doing the same to me" Jane sounded deflated. "He isn't trying to be Hoyt. He is trying to avenge his death"

Dean cocked his head. "You took away what matters most to him…"

Jane looked down at her hands, at the scars that covered them. She sighed and felt the tears sting behind her eyes. "So he took what matters most to me…"

"We're looking for someone who knows Hoyt as well, if not better, than you do. It is very likely it someone you know, or someone who at least knows you, because not only does he know that Hoyt is dead, he also knows the best way to get to you. By using Maura."

Jane pulled a face and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "You're saying this is someone I know?" She rolled her eyes when Dean nodded. "Gees, I tend not to associate with psychopaths…" Then suddenly there was a spark. Something ignited inside of her and instead of heading to the entrance doors Jane ran back to the elevator, leaving Dean stunned.

"What are you doing? The coffee bar is that way!"

She glanced over her shoulder and for the first time that night he actually saw her smile. "Forget about the coffee. We need to get back to Korsak and Frost! Now!"

She burst through the department doors with such force that she nearly tripped over her own feet. Korsak, Frost and Frankie all looked up when Jane rushed back in and the three of them immediately recognised the excitement and passion in her eyes. It was how Jane looked when she had thought of something. She reached Frost's desk and peered over his shoulder at his computer screen.

"Hey, can you run all of the faces from the people on that camera outside the prison through facial recognition?" she asked and behind her Korsak stood up.

"You think he's on there?" he asked and Jane gave him a look.

"We can try" she answered and she was panting slightly. Her heart pounded in her chest with such intensity she felt it was about to break through her ribcage. The passion that burnt in her eyes made that the other three officers immediately forgot about their tiredness. Jane Rizzoli was back in action. "Agent Dean seems to think that the apprentice is someone I know. Or someone who knows me. If it is it has to be someone who works in this building. It is the only way he could have known Hoyt is dead!"

"It could take a while but it's worth a try" Frost said as his fingers flew over the keys. "The prison has sent me all their security footage from the week leading up the date on the letter. If someone hand delivered it, he will be on here…" He paused and glance at Jane. "What exactly am I looking for?"

"Is there any way of narrowing the profile on that search?" Jane wanted to know.

"Gender and race but that's about it. The picture quality on the camera isn't great so I can't try and narrow it down by age or any other features because the system will just not recognise them and we risk missing him" Frost said as he brought up the by now familiar facial recognition software.

"Search for white males" agent Dean said and everybody looked up. Nobody had heard him come in. "General profiles show that most serial killers are white males. Hoyt has never associated with anyone who wasn't Caucasian, both apprentice and victim. It is safe to assume that this apprentice will be white. Chances are he and Hoyt will have met at some point in their lives, which was when the bond was formed. The overpowering of Dr Isle suggests a male attacker to me. Females are more delicate, they would have tried taking her without force…"

"I've sent the envelope and the letter down to the lab to be checked for prints but it has been handled by so many different people we're lucky to find something useful" Korsak said. When Jane gave him a disapproving look he quickly added: "Maybe they can get some DNA of the envelope…"

"They checked the scalpel for prints but found none" said Frankie. "Just Maura's blood…"

"The scalpel…" Jane's eyes narrowed and she turned to look at her brother. There was something she couldn't explain. Like a quiet whisper in the back of her mind. A feeling, or maybe not even that. But something told her she had to look at that scalpel. Her eyes found Frankie's. "Where is it?"

"Downstairs in the lab" Korsak answered, not quite understanding why Jane suddenly had such an interest in the scalpel. "Like Frankie said, they ran the DNA and checked for prints and said they'd log into evidence for us"

Jane gave the four men a final look before she spun around on her heels and rushed straight back to the doors through which she had just come in.

"Where are you going?" Korsak called after her and she turned around, already half way out of the door. He knew that look. It was the "I-have-a-hunch-and-I-need-to-check-this-now" look.

"I'll let you know when I find out" she said before stepping out of the room. "Cross references the names and faces on that camera with any names we have of Hoyt's old associates. Medical school, people he may have seen in prison…" She felt a surge of adrenaline. "We'll nail that son of a bitch!"

~()~

The door opened and he carefully stepped into the room. She lay on the mattress, on her side, with her knees brought up to her chin. Her caramel curls fell in front of her face, obscuring it from him. As his eyes wandered over her sleeping frame he saw the dried pool of blood on the mattress not far from her neck and a little smile broke through on his face. His gaze trailed up, from the bloodied finger tips along the arm her head was resting on until he reached her neck. He could just about see the incision on her skin. Dried blood had clotted around the edges. Judging from her bloodied hands he could tell she had tried to stop the bleeding. It appeared she had been successful. He had not expected any different.

He observed the delicate flutter behind her eyelids a second before her eyes opened and her hazel orbs founds his. Instantly the fear returned. Her eyes were beautiful, he had noticed. They told him so much. He had watched as they welled up with tears when he had whispered the name he knew could draw those tears from her eyes. _Jane. _She had not cried when he cut her. She had cried when she believed t that the last face she would see was his. His lips now curled up into a full smile. She was pale and when he reached out a hand to touch her he felt she was cold.

"So beautiful yet so fragile" he mused and let a strand of her hair run through her fingers. His gaze continued to rest on her eyes. "The eyes, my dear doctor, are the window to the soul. They are said to show _everything…_"

"Don't touch me" she managed to whisper. He heard how her teeth chattered. She was shivering. "Don't touch me…."

"I am sure Jane got my message" he said as he leant in. His fingers closed around her wrist and he began pulling her up into a seated position. She wasn't helping him. Instead she tried to make her body as heavy as possible but the loss of blood as well as the lack of food had made her weak. She had little to no resistance left. She shivered almost non-stop and peered at him through her eyelashes. His face was so familiar yet it was like she saw him for the first time. He ran his fingers across her cheek, down to the two separate cuts on her neck. "There is something I need you to see"

It was the first time he took her out of the room since she got here. He held her hand as he walked her through the narrow corridor that led into what she assumed had once been designed as a living room. She nervously looked around. The rest of the house looked like the room he kept her in. The windows were covered in grease, the floorboards creaked under her feet and most of the furniture was covered in a thick layer of dust. There was a simple couch and an old fashioned seventies style coffee table. The floor around it was littered with old newspapers.

Her breath died in the back of her throat when she let her eyes trail up and found the wall furthest away from her. It was the one wall without any windows. From that wall evil stared back at her.

"You see, doctor" he whispered from behind her. His lips were too close to her ear. She could smell his breath, feel it on her skin. She cringed.

"No" she whispered quietly. She knew the scarred face almost as well as she knew her own. It was part of her life and her nightmares. Those eyes… those dangerously empty eyes. Eyes that had been dead long before his body and soul had been. Charles Hoyt's face was everywhere, plastered all over the wall. Newspaper snippets that mentioned his arrest, his trial date, his escape and how he had targeted Jane. Anything that even mentioned his name was here. Maura's eyes drifted from picture to picture and from article to article. Whenever she saw a new one, her heart seemed to die just a little bit more.

She wasn't sure what sickened her more. The fact that Hoyt's face was everywhere or the fact that he wasn't alone. His pictures and the newspaper articles were surrounded, or even decorated, with pictures of Jane. It was a shrine and yet it wasn't. The longer she looked at it the more she realised this was a memory.

"Jane" she whispered when her eyes came to rest on a close up picture of the dark haired detective. A single tear trickled down her cheek. "Oh Jane…" She turned to look at him. He saw her tears. Her voice broke. "Why?"

"He was the master. A true talent, an artist. I can only pray to achieve what he did" he answered with a strangely delicate voice. It was gentle and caring, as if he spoke of an old friend. His eyes too drifted to the pictures of Charles Hoyt. "He mastered the art of death"

"Hoyt…" she whispered "… was a serial killer who butchered countless people and destroyed endless lives. I hope you don't mind that I fail to see how that is in any way affiliated with art!" She cocked her head. "He felt no emotion. He was a psychopath" Something in his face changed. "How do you even know him?"

"Oh we go way back" he lisped. "A long long time ago, doctor, I was given the opportunity to watch the master work…"

"A long time ago…" she repeated and her hazel eyes flashed back to the pictures of Hoyt and Jane. Their faces were stuck to the wall, side by side, like a twisted partnership. Seeing Jane was like a knife being stabbed straight into her heart and twisted. She ached inside. She then looked back at him and her eyes narrowed. Realisation dawned. "…like medical school?"

"Very good, Dr Isles"

His fingers slipped around her throat unexpectedly and she froze when the cold blade was placed against her skin. She could feel her own heart, pounding against his hand. She took a ragged breath and the panic overwhelmed her. The blade pressed against her flesh. She felt it break her skin and another soft flow of warm blood found its way down her skin. His lips were so close to her ear. His breath was hot in the back of her neck.

"And now for the grand finale…"

The blade cut deeper through her flesh. The blood began to seep into her clothes, slowly following the fine, delicate lines of her neck.

"…I get to perfect the art myself. I get to become the new master…"


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Jane didn't even ask the lab technician where he had put the scalpel. As soon as she burst into the room her eyes scanned the table surface and she found it lying next to the microscope, neatly bagged and tagged. Before the blonde haired young assistant even had a chance to comment on what she was doing Jane had grabbed the bag and held it at eyelevel. There was a smudge across the dried blood where they had swiped it to test it for DNA. Other than that it looked identical to when it had been first delivered to her. Her dark eyes narrowed and a little smile broke through. She felt a sense of euphoria.

"Gotcha!"

"Detective Rizzoli, that needs to be logged into evidence and…" the lab assistant began but Jane ignored him.

"This has just given us the biggest clue in this case!" Jane said, waving the plastic bag in front of his face. She spun around and rushed out of the lab, through the corridor and past the adjacent morgue which seemed unusually quiet and dark in Maura's absence. She reached the elevator and slammed her fist against the up arrow. She jumped from one foot onto the other impatiently whilst clutching the plastic bag in her hand. She didn't even wait for the elevator doors to open fully and jumped in, pressed the button and then hissed to herself when the doors seemed to take an eternity to close. Once she was on her way up she became aware of the harsh pounding of her heart. Adrenaline engulfed her.

They were waiting for her back at homicide and she nearly fell through the door in her rush to get to them. She waved the back and, slightly out of breath, showed it to Korsak. "We've got him!"

"Excuse me?" Dean asked. His eyes flashed between Jane and the plastic bag and then to Korsak, who seemed as bewildered and surprised as he was. The older detective stared at the raven haired woman.

"The scalpel!" Jane said and threw it on Korsak's desk. The sound of metal against metal echoed around the room. It was a sharp, harsh reminder of the seriousness of the situation. "It's Maura's!"

"How do you mean, it's Maura's?" Frost asked. His eyes were fixed on the bloodied scalpel on Korsak's desk.

Jane shook her head. They didn't know Maura the way she did. Obviously. She ran her fingers through her hair. "Maura has this weird thing that she will only use scalpels from one particular company. She has them flown in from Chicago every month. Maura says the consistency and weight are different to the scalpels supplied by the ME's office and they feel different in her hands…" When she saw the bewildered looks her colleagues gave her she sighed. "C'mon guys, it's Maura!" Korsak flashed a smile in understanding and Jane pointed at the instrument. "THIS is Maura's own personal scalpel!"

"How did the kidnapper get it?" Frankie asked.

"Maura doesn't carry scalpels in her bag, as a principal rule" Jane answered. Nobody knew Maura had stopped doing so when she had realised a scalpel was Hoyt's favourite weapon of choice. These days she kept them in her office or her morgue but never again in her bag. Jane knew that Maura had always been afraid that if Hoyt came after her again and she had a scalpel in her bag, Hoyt would use it. It was a twisted sense of logic but to Maura the irrational fear had been very much real. Jane glanced at Frankie. "It means he could only have taken it from the morgue or her office…"

She felt the blood rush through her veins and the final pieces slowly began to fit together.

"The apprentice is an insider?" Korsak asked and he looked shocked.

"Or at least someone who can get in and out of this building without being noticed" Jane answered slowly. "Frankie, get me the security footage from downstairs for the last three days or so. See if anyone entered the building who had no reason for being here and compare their faces to those on the footage from the prison and…"

"Jane…" Frost interrupted her and she turned around. "We might not need that footage…"

"What?" she breathed.

He slowly turned his computer screen in her direction and she watched the bright green neon letters on the facial recognition software flash _MATCH. _Her breathe died in her throat when she let her eyes trail up and recognised the man's face. Instantly her fists tightened, making the scars on the back of her hands seem more profound. The security footage from the prison wasn't sharp but it was still clear enough. She recognised his silvery white hair and the same sense of irritation she had experienced when their paths first crossed returned, only this time laced with pure hatred. He was in his late fifties and wore round and rather out-dated glasses.

"That's Dr Pike…" she breathed. "I'd recognise that god awful tweed jacket anywhere!"

"Who's Dr Pike?" Dean and Frankie asked at the same time.

"Maura is his boss. He's an assistant medical examiner" Jane answered as she scrambled around for her belongings, ready to rush out as soon as they had any idea where Pike was. Her words were rushed. "He works at the Western Mass Office. Maura called him into help a few weeks ago when we were dealing with Paddy Doyle. He performed the autopsy…" Her eyes narrowed. "And she put him in his place too"

"Got the worst pompous attitude in Massachusetts and he makes even Dr Isles' OCD seem minimal" Korsak said and when Jane shot him a look he smiled. She returned the smile. A few weeks ago she would have told him off, as a joke, for being so insensitive. Now she wanted to be as insensitive as she could possibly be. It would involve jamming a scalpel between Pike's ribs the same way she had done to Hoyt and feel him bleed under her hands. She wanted him to suffer.

"Sounds like he had several reasons to target Maura" Dean concluded and looked at Jane. When she gave him a dangerously dark look he quickly backtracked. "Apart from Hoyt, I mean"

"He went to Harvard" Frost said as she pulled up Pike's details and there was a slight pause. "And guess who his classmate was…"

"Hoyt!" Jane hissed through her teeth as she peered over her partner's shoulder. "God their names are even right underneath each other on the enrolment sheet!" She flinched at the realisation that they had relied on the help of a man who harboured an obsession towards Hoyt. She had let him near Maura. She had let him near herself. She had invited evil right back into her life and even after he had walked back out, she had left the door wide open for him to come back. "Son of a bitch!"

"Hoyt was kicked out for fondling a corpse" Dean reminded the group and Jane felt a cold shiver creep down her spine. "Is there any mention of him and Pike ever working together? Did they do any rotations in the same hospital?"

"They both did research at the local morgue" Frost said. "Pike claimed he didn't know what Hoyt was doing. The university even questioned him…" He brought up pieces taken from the report that had led to Hoyt being kicked out of medical school. "Pike got to continue his medical career…" He looked up and his eyes found Korsak. "And all this time he knew. He knew what Hoyt was, what he had done. And he carried on working, expanding his obsession. And he worked in the one profession where he would encounter the one thing that excited both him and Hoyt. Death."

Jane couldn't believe it. The details had been right there all along, right under their nose. There has just never been any reason for them to look for them. The realisation left her numbed. She was angry and felt sick. "We let him in here" she sounded deflated. "He watched me and Maura. He observed us. He saw what our relationship was like. He saw the scars on my hands. He knew who I was, what Hoyt did to me…" She shook her head. "Get the footage from downstairs anyway. I want to see his face. I want to see if he came back…"

"I'm on it" Frankie bolted out of the door and to the elevators.

"Do we have an address for him?" Korsak asked. Jane heard the anger in his voice. He and Pike went even further back. She could only imagine her partner's mixed anger and disappointment.

"Two places. One of them is an apartment here in Boston and…" Frost's face lit up when he encountered the rest of the information and he turned to glance at Jane. "…a property that has been in the family for several decades. Looks like his father bought it many years ago. It's an old cabin near Quabbin Reservoir, about 65 miles east from here. Says here it is no longer considered habitable"

"A cabin near a reservoir away from the city…" Jane said and her eyes swept around the room. Korsak, Frost and Dean were all strapping on their guns. She felt a surge of excitement and victory. "Sounds like a perfect location to take a kidnap victim"

"I'm driving" said Dean and when Jane cast him a dark look he shrugged. "I can break Federal Laws not even you can break legally, Rizzoli"

~()~

"I have never even been to Quabbin Reservoir" Jane said as they were racing across the roads, sirens and lights flashing, She was sitting in the front, next to Dean. Frost and Korsak sat in the back. They were all experiencing adrenaline rushes and Jane constantly glanced out of the window but found the road signs that told her how many miles they still had to go only frustrated her. She looked over her shoulder at Korsak. "Where is it?"

"They flooded Swift River Valley and relocated the entire population for four towns to do it. Even dug up cemeteries and everything. Bodies were put back in the ground in Quabbin Park Cemetery" Korsak answered and he reminded Jane somewhat of her geography teacher in school. "The reservoir provides over 2 million people with fresh drinking water" When Frost gave him an amused look he shrugged. "What? I watch the History channel!"

They were on route 9 and Jane realised, once she looked out of the window, that they didn't have much further to go. She stared out of the car and watched the scenery unfold outside, though she didn't see anything of it. She thought of Maura and prayed, God she prayed, that she was allright. Just at that same moment her cell phone vibrated and she answered.

"Hey Frankie"

"I found Pike on the security footage" her brother answered and Jane's heart skipped a beat. "He walked in, flashes his medical examiners badge at the desk sergeant and walks straight to the elevator, pushes the button down to the morgue and disappears…" Jane could visualize him doing it and the thought angered her. "He comes back fifteen minutes later, says something to the desk guy and walks straight back out of the building"

"When was this?" Jane asked.

"The day you killed Hoyt"

"So he deliberately came to Headquarters. He probably came looking for Maura but she was at my apartment. He saw the scalpels, took them so that we couldn't trace them back to him and left" Jane ran her hand through her hair. "And all he had to do was say he came to see Dr Maura Isles for some advice on a case, even if we questioned him on Maura's kidnap. Why question an assistant medical examiner who had helped out in the past? Nobody would ever have suspected it was him!" She paused. "Okay, thanks, Frankie".

She hung up. Nobody said anything as Jane's words sank in. She glanced out of the window and occasionally her eyes dropped down to her watch. The minutes were slowly ticking away from her but they were closing in on finding Maura. The mere thought of the medical examiner made Jane's heart flutter. Her feelings for Maura were no longer secret. She had thought nobody around her knew but strangely enough she felt calm, and almost at peace, with everybody knowing. It seemed as if just another piece of the puzzle fell into place. She was roused from her thoughts when she felt an unexpected hand on her shoulder and glanced up to find Korsak leaning in towards her.

"We'll find her, Jane" he said and squeezed her shoulder gently.

She answered him with a smile. "I know…"

They had to turn off the main road to get to the cabin and drove through a narrow forest path surrounded by trees and grass that reached high up to their knees. It felt like they had entered a completely different world, far away from the concrete jungle that was Boston. Jane wondered for a moment when the last time had been somebody had visited this place, apart from Pike and Maura. The cabin loomed up from behind some trees and she immediately understood why it was considered inhabitable. There were some broken windows, there seemed to be a hole in the roof and the door looked like it had been slammed shut a few too many times. The soft moss and grass prevented the noise from travelling and they arrived quietly and unnoticed.

They all got out and Jane reached for her gun, removed it from her holster and took the safety off. She gave the others hand signals as to where to go and let Frost take the lead to approach the front door. Dean and Korsak were lined up on either side, just beside the windows, and Jane gave Frost cover. He reached for the door handle, turned it and it opened, revealing the darkness inside. He stepped in, brandishing his gun and Jane immediately followed. Her heart pounded in her chest and her eyes quickly adapted to the darkness and she searched the shadows, looking for Pike.

"Clear!" Frost called after having checked the living room. Jane had already started down the dark corridor that led towards the room at the end of the building. Her fingers found the wood and the door gave way with just a soft push. Her breath died in the back of her throat when her eyes found the large blood pool on the dirty mattress.

"Maura…." she breathed when she realised the room was empty and spun around when there was a soft thud behind her. She was still brandishing her gun but dropped it when she realised that the thud had been caused by a body slumping down to the floor. She appeared to have come from behind the door, like she had been hiding. Maura didn't move and lay face down on the wooden floor. Jane immediately lowered her gun and dropped down to her knees beside her. She reached out and touched the brunette's hair. Her heart froze in her chest when she brushed the caramel strands aside and searched for a pulse.

"Maura… Oh Maur…" Jane whispered as she pressed her fingers against the other woman's neck. When she felt the weak pulse under her fingertips she looked over her shoulder. "IN HERE!" She looked back at Maura and she realised there was something warm and sticky stuck to her fingers. Looking down she recognised it as blood Jane gasped and both her hands closed on the brunette's shoulder and Jane slowly rolled Maura over. Now that she lay on her back Jane immediately saw the bleeding cut on the medical examiner's neck and she pressed her hands down in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Where's the medic?" Jane cried, feeling the burning tears stream down her face. She didn't even realise she had been crying until right now. Seeing Maura so hurt and helpless reminded her how much she loved this woman. She couldn't die. Not here. Not in her arms. Her voice was rough and raw. "I NEED HELP!"

"They're five minutes out" answered Korsak as he rushed into the room and found Jane sitting down on her knees beside Maura, her hands covered in the younger woman's blood. He seemed startled for a moment before he too dropped down and his eyes caught Jane's. He couldn't remember ever having seen her so scared. "No sign of Pike. Frost and Dean are checking outside. How is she?"

"Alive…" Jane breathed as her eyes fixed on Maura's face. But that was about it. Maura was alive. She looked so pale and her breathing was shallow and ragged. Jane could still feel her heart beat under her fingers but it was weak. She continued to apply pressure on Maura's neck. The blood was still gently seeping through her fingers. Her eyes flickered nervously around the room. She was so scared. She didn't know what she would do if Maura… She did not even dare finish that sentence. Her voice was soft and she sounded so broken. "Oh God what has he done to her?"

Slowly hazel eyes opened and found Jane looking down at her. Her voice was a whisper. "Jane…"

"I'm here…" Jane whispered and she gently kissed Maura on her forehead. "I'm here… Sssh sweetie…" Maura's skin felt cold. Her tears dripped down onto the other woman's cheeks. "I'm right here…."

Maura's eyes closed again and Jane felt a cold shiver creep down her spine when in the distance she heard the sirens wailing. She just endlessly prayed that they were on time.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Guys, I am so grateful for all the reviews I have had since starting this story. You are all awesome! And for those who hadn't noticed, I am NOT a fan of Agent Dean and less than thrilled about him making a reappearance in the season 2 finale. But since the finale contains fire I have good hopes someone might kill him. A girl can dream right?

**About this chapter;** I took the liberties of trying to research some of the medical stuff online, mainly because I wanted to paint a reasonably believable situation. I am not even sure whether any of it is even used on this way so any mistakes and errors are due to my own ignorance. And just as a clarification, the GCS is the Glasgow Coma Scale, which is used to identify the state of a patient's conciousness.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Jane could not remember a drive that had been worse than her journey on the ambulance with Maura. She sat beside her friend, her dark eyes fixed on her delicate features. She was so pale and her eyes didn't open throughout the whole journey back to Boston. She watched with apprehension as the paramedic hooked Maura up to an IV and a heart monitor. The soft, steady beeping noise was strangely comforting and every so often Jane's eyes would drift to the machine to watch the steady peak of Maura's heartbeat. Her hand never let Maura's go. Her fingers were cold, which was almost a surreal feeling because Maura's hands were always warm. Warm, gentle and soft, Jane thought. Yes, that was Maura. And seeing her so delicate, so hurt, made Jane hurt deep down inside way more than she had ever believed possible.

"Detective, do you know her blood type?"

The paramedic's voice ripped Jane from her thoughts and she was forced to tear her eyes away from Maura. Slightly bewildered she looked up. They were still moving.

"Huh?"

"Do you know her blood type?"

Jane had to think about that. She wasn't sure. She remembered Maura telling her once, in one of her blissful moments of ignorance where she was quoted the percentages of people with the same blood type as her own. She furrowed her brow as the conversation repeated itself in her head. They had been in the morgue, standing over the body of a John Doe. And his blood type… it had been the same as Maura's. That's what sparked her comment about saying it was the second most common blood type in the country, Jane remembered. Her eyes snapped up.

"A positive" she answered without a single hesitation. "She's A positive"

The paramedic reached for the radio. His eyes briefly rested on Jane and watched how her thumb rubbed the back of Maura's hand. With the oxygen mask covering most of her face and her pale skin covered in bloody smudges, Maura looked terrible. A strand of caramel hair had fallen across her eyes and Jane leant in and brushed it aside. The soft caress made Maura's eyes flutter and Jane softly gasped. Maura didn't open her eyes but Jane knew there and then that the brunette knew she was here.

"BMC, this is Victor Charlie 9-7-5. Our ETA is 7 minutes. Patient is female, aged 36, two extensive cuts to the cervical. Blood type A positive. Have bags at the ready for immediate transfusion. Blood pressure is 70/55. Oxygen levels are at 94 per cent. GCS is 4; E1, V2 M 1 at…" His eyes glanced down at his watch. "…03.33 AM"

Jane had no idea what he had just said but most of it didn't sound good to her. All she understood was that they weren't far from Boston Medical Centre and Maura would soon be in the safe hands of the trauma doctors in the ER. She looked down at her bloodied hands holding Maura's. She had never been so scared in all her life. Were it not for the fact that she could see the brunette's chest rise and fall slowly, Jane would not have believed Maura was still alive.

"Please Maura…" she whispered as she leant in close to her friend. Her lips were maybe an inch from her ear. "If you can hear me… or even if you can't… Just stay with me, OK? Just stay with me…" Her eyes searched the brunette's face for any sign that she had heard her. Maura's eyes didn't move. "You know I can't do this without you. This whole living business. I don't know what took me so long but I need you, Maura Isles. I need you more than I have ever needed anything or anybody else…" Tears burnt behind her eyes and Jane could taste them in the back of her throat. "Just stay with me, Maura. _Please_…"

The minutes suddenly seemed to have flown by because before Jane fully realised it the ambulance had come to a stop and someone yanked the back doors open. The paramedic who had been sitting at Maura's other side leapt out before turning around and reaching for the stretcher. A nurse appeared, followed by a second and then a third. They were all dressed in their green trauma kits, wore gloves and hats and plastic gowns to protect their clothing. People reached inside the ambulance. Someone took the oxygen tank and another one unhooked the heart monitor so they could carry it along and the third one made sure they held Maura's IV up in the air. Jane watched as if in slow motion how Maura was gently carried out of the ambulance before being wheeled into the ER. She sat there, in the empty ambulance, for what felt like a lifetime before her brain finally gave her legs the signal to move.

She staggered into the ER looking lost and covered in blood. The cacophony of sounds overwhelmed her; there were dozens of voices, a phone was ringing and even the buzzing from the lights suddenly sounded like nails on a school board. Jane stood in the middle of the room for a few seconds, looking lost, before a nurse approached her and put a hand on her arm.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" she asked with a sharp Texas accent and Jane's dark eyes drifted into the fiery redhead's direction.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Jane whispered as she sank down into one of the horribly uncomfortable plastic chairs and she began rubbing her bloodied hands across her tracksuits in an almost desperate bid to clean them. Her movements became more urgent and desperate and the tears quietly began making their down her cheeks. Jane Rizzoli looked a mess.

The red haired nurse knelt down in front of Jane and rested her hands on the detective's knees. "Listen to me…" she said firmly and Jane's eyes found hers. "Are you hurt?"

"No" Jane whispered. "I am fine. This blood…." Her voice trailed off as she stared at her blood covered hands. "It's not mine"

"Okay" answered the nurse and her intense green eyes raked over the detective's frame looking for any obvious signs of injury. She found none. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Jane?"

She looked up when she recognised Korsak's voice and her dark eyes nervously darted around the emergency waiting room. He spotted her and rushed to her side, followed closely by Dean and Frost. The three of them looked shaken up. She had no idea how they got here so fast but she didn't care either. Korsak dropped to his knees at her side and grasped her hands. For a second he glanced down at the scars. The scars that were now covered in Maura's blood. "Jane, are you all right? Where's Maura?"

"I'll go and find out" said Dean before Jane had a chance to answer and he walked off towards the desk. From the corner of his eye Korsak saw him flash his FBI badge.

Satisfied that Jane was neither injured nor alone the red haired nurse stood up and left her in the care of Korsak and Frost. The two detectives sat down beside Jane and Korsak's eyes searched Jane's face. She was staring at something in the distance, something that seemed miles away, and he knew she was in shock. She barely responded to him when he spoke and when her eyes did meet his it was as if she was staring straight through him. She heard him but his words were not getting through.

"They are working on her now" said Dean when he reached Jane, Korsak and Frost. He looked frustrated. "Nurse said she couldn't say anything else but the doctor should be coming to see us soon…"

"Where's Pike?" Jane suddenly asked.

Frost took a deep breath. "We didn't find him at the cabin. Jane. We think he may have tried to kill Maura and left her there to die. Or he harmed her enough for her to suffer but not enough to kill her instantly so there was a chance you'd find her and…" He swallowed.

"He'd know I'd have to suffer. He knew what it would to do to me to see Maura like that" Jane finished her partner's sentence. "Gees, how do I attract all the whack jobs in this world?"

Nobody answered.

"We have put a patrol car on the cabin but I doubt Pike will come back. He must have suspected you were on to him. It's probably why he hurt Maura. He knew you were coming…" Dean said slowly and his eyes lingered on Jane's broken posture. He had seen this woman attack Charles Hoyt and she had seemed remarkably strong on those occasions. Now Jane Rizzoli seemed broken and tired. "Wherever he is…"

"He's out there" Jane sighed and brushed her fingers through her messy hair. The idea alone sent cold chills down her spine. "And like Hoyt, he won't stop until he gets what he wants. Which just happens to be me…"

"There's also a patrol car on Pike's apartment here in Boston but the neighbour said she hasn't seen him for over a week so wherever he's hiding, he's not doing it at his own place" said Frost. "Traffic Control found Maura's car about half an hour ago, dumped under an overpass just off route 9. CSU is checking it for prints but their first guess is that Pike overwhelmed her at her house and then took her in her own car as not to draw attention to himself…"

"Which might mean he never parked outside her house at all" Korsak added and Jane's eyes found his. "This could explain why nobody saw a car the night Maura disappeared. Because he never drove one"

"Does this nightmare ever end?" she groaned as she covered her face in her hands. Suddenly she realised how tired she was. She hadn't slept for nearly two days and she felt a little bit sick. Her body was aching and she heard her stomach rumble. Her eyes were burning from lack of sleep as well as tears. "What does a person have to do around here to get rid of a psychopath serial killer and his sick little apprentices?"

"Jane Rizzoli?"

The doors leading to the ER opened and a man whom Jane guessed was in his late forties walked out. He was dressed in the same green uniform as she had seen the nurses wear and he had clearly only just removed his gown and gloves. There was a bloody smudge across his chest and she did her best not to stare at it as he approached her. He clutched a clip board and from a pair of square glasses a set of friendly blue eyes found Jane's.

"How is she?" Jane asked. Her voice was hoarse.

"Stable" he answered and Jane suddenly felt that one word possessed the ability to change the way she felt. The rest of his words went in one ear and out the next. "We have stitched the two cuts on her neck and she received two pints of blood to replace the amount she had lost. The cuts were clean but deep, which made stitching both easy and difficult. Her blood pressure is stable and I am pleased to inform you that she has briefly opened her eyes though she is currently being kept in a medical induced sleep just to give her body some time to recover. There appears to be damage to any of the nerves of muscles in her neck. She has been very lucky though I do not doubt that for the next few days she will extremely sore…." He gave Jane an encouraging smile.

"Th-thank you" Jane stammered and she looked like a deer caught in headlines. She slowly stood up. "Can I see her?"

"Sure. I see no reason why not" the doctor answered and he put his hand on Jane's arm. "One of the nurses will take you to her. Though I have to remind you that she is sedated and may not know you are there. We are keeping her in ICU overnight, just as a precaution. By tomorrow morning she will be transferred to a normal ward and then, if everything goes well, I expect her to be discharged within the next two to three days" He gestured for one of the nurses to come over and then showed her something on his paperwork. She nodded. "Please take Miss Rizzoli to see Miss Isles"

The nurse smiled and Jane quietly followed her towards the elevators. She didn't even look back to say goodbye to Korsak, Frost and Dean and left them standing in the emergency waiting room as she stepped into the elevator and watched the nurse press the button for the third floor. A few seconds later the elevator doors swung open and revealed the quietness of the ICU. Compared to the madness from downstairs this was a sanctuary and Jane stepped out into a dimly lit corridor. The nurse that had accompanied her walked up to the nurse's desk, whispered something to the male nurse working on the computer and he looked up.

"Miss Isles' room is the third one on your left" he said with a smile and Jane tried to smile back but simply lacked the energy and strength. She walked down the corridor, forcing herself to look at the doors as she walked past. All the windows had blinds and all of them were closed. She did not dare think about the situations in people's lives that brought them here, to ICU. She didn't even want to think about what had brought Maura here. When she reached the third door on her left Jane froze and hesitated for a few moments before pushing the door handle down and stepping into the room.

It didn't smell like a hospital room was the first thing Jane thought. It didn't have that awfully sanitary smell that normally lingered in rooms. The next thing she noticed was the fact that there was a reclining chair standing next to Maura's bed, complete with pillow and blanket. The third thing Jane saw was Maura herself. She was still pale and her caramel hair was a warm contrast against the clean white sheets of her bed. But there was a slight blush on her cheeks and seeing that she had regained some of her colour made Jane feel more confident. She slowly walked around the bed, pulled the recliner even closer to the bed and kicked off her shoes before curling up on it. She reached for Maura's hand and took it into her own.

"I am so sorry, Maur. None of this would have happened had it not been for me" Jane whispered. Her dark eyes lingered on the doctor's face. She would swear she saw Maura's eyes flutter. "Did I tell you it was that pompous dickhead Pike? I am sure you knew…" She paused and rubbed Maura's hand. "I never wanted anything to happen to you. How can I ever forgive myself for letting this happen? I should be there to protect you. I shouldn't be putting you in danger…" Her voice trembled. "We don't put those we love in danger…"

The realisation that it was finally over caught up with her and Jane smiled to herself. "This must have been the craziest few days of my life, Maur. Honestly. You wouldn't believe the conversations I've had. Ma thinks were secret lovers, Frankie thinks were dating. Actually, no, everybody thinks we're dating. And I didn't understand how they got those ideas and until… until I realised that I had those ideas too. I just never quite looked at it that way before. Not until now." She shook her head. "How crazy things have become…"

Her fingers gently stroked the back of Maura's hand. She looked so peaceful now that she was sleeping. Jane could see the stitches in her neck and it made her heart ache. "I love you, Maura. I wish I had told you sooner but because of Hoyt… I knew what he wanted to do to me. I never wanted him to do anything to you and I knew that if he ever found out what I feel for you… I could not bear living with the idea of what he might do to you to get to me. And now look at this mess… Twice they have hurt you to get to me. It's dangerous to love another person, Maura. The fact that I love you is what made you get hurt." Her voice broke and the tears just gently began streaming down her cheeks before seeping into the sheets on Maura's bed. "I am so so sorry, Maur. I love you and for that I am sorry"

Jane's eyes fixed on Maura's beautifully delicate features. The soft lines of her jaw, the full shape of her and even the long lashes on her eyes. Maura was beautiful, Jane thought. She didn't know what she had done to deserve a friend like Maura. For all her little oddities she was just amazing. A little socially awkward maybe and a little strange, or goofy as Jane liked to call it, but nevertheless amazing. And seeing her like this, lying in a hospital bed, made Jane feel all the more protective of her. Maura was her everything. And everything was so much more than Jane had ever dared to imagine. And she couldn't bare the idea of losing it all.

She didn't quite remember when she had put her head down on the pillow and pulled the blanket over her body but she fell asleep with Maura's hand safely in her own and the knowledge that, at least for now, they were safe.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Lyrics belong to Trisha Yearwood's "_Maybe It's Love_"

Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 9**

When Maura's fingers moved under her hand Jane's eyes snapped open. Gone were the restless dreams she'd been having. She immediately sat up and her dark eyes drifted up to the medical examiner's face. Tired and slightly weary eyes looked back at her. Jane couldn't help but smile, though underneath it all she felt like crying. She leant in, her hand still securely holding Maura's and brushed a strand of caramel hair out of the younger woman's face.

"Hey" she whispered as her fingers brushed along Maura's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have been hit by a truck" Maura answered. Her voice was weak and hoarse but Jane heard the relief in her words. Maura's eyes wandered around the room before she looked back at Jane. "How long have I been here?"

Jane glanced at her watch. She had lost all track of time and the realisation of how long it had been frightened her. She looked back up. "Almost thirty six hours"

"And you haven't had a shower in all that time?" Maura inquired and one finely shaped eyebrow shot up.

"What, you wake up and tell me I smell?" Jane feigned a hurt expression. "It's good to see you too, Dr Isles"

"Jane…"

She said it in that voice Jane liked so much. The one she wished Maura used more often. She had used that tone for the first time when she had slept over after Hoyt's escape last year. Every so often it had snuck back in. It was the one with the teasing undertone. The one that made it sound like her name was a song. She smiled and looked at Maura.

"I didn't want you to wake up and me not being here" she admitted and averted her eyes as she slight pink blush appeared on her cheeks. "I guess I hoped you'd be happier to see me than Frost or Korsak" It was meant as joke but left her mouth with a far more serious intonation than she had intended. Jane peered at Maura through her eyelashes.

"I am happy to see you" Maura said softly and tried to sit up. She flinched and Jane almost immediately reached out to help her. When their eyes met both women seemed slightly embarrassed and Jane sat back, allowing Maura to try for herself to find a more comfortable position. Maura managed to fluff up the pillows behind her back and now that she was sitting up her eyes once again wandered around the almost sterile looking room. There was nothing homely or comforting about a hospital room. The walls were bare and painted in a cold shade of cream. Slightly out dated curtains hung in front of the square shaped windows.

Slowly the memories began to find their way back into Maura's mind and she saw herself, cowering in the corner of the room after Pike had left her on the floor. Instinctively her fingers reached up to the side of her neck and followed the two separate cuts. She felt the stitches under her fingertips and felt slightly nauseated when she encountered the third cut, which was the oldest one, left behind by Hoyt. Jane saw the pained expression on Maura's face and squeezed her hand.

"Hey, you OK?" she whispered softly and Maura's bewildered eyes found Jane.

"I…" she began but her voice trailed off. "I remember…" She paused. "Pike…" Her hazel eyes darkened. "It was Pike, Jane. He was the one who kidnapped me"

"We know" Jane reassured her and Maura's eyes reflected surprise. "I recognised the scalpel he sent me. It was one of yours. Pike obviously didn't know that you have yours shipped in from Chicago and don't use the ones supplied to you by the ME's office. We found him on the security footage outside the prison hand delivering a letter to Hoyt. Frankie then also found him on the security footage back at headquarters after I killed Hoyt. Desk sergeant said he asked to see you. He said he had some files to deliver to your office. When the sergeant answered you weren't in he just smiled and said he'd leave the files on your desk. Poor officer never even had a clue…"

"He was at my house" Maura whispered and Jane heard the tremor in her voice. "After I left your apartment." She looked up and her terrified eyes found Jane's. "I didn't see him at first but he walked up behind me. He mentioned my name and I turned around…" She remembered him standing behind her, clear as day. He had smiled and asked if he could talk to her. Maura swallowed. "He wanted to talk to me about something, he said. He wanted to talk about Hoyt. I asked how he even knew about him. And then…" Her voice cut off.

"It's OK" Jane brought Maura's hand up to her lips and kissed it softly. "Really sweetie, it's OK"

"Why didn't I see it coming?" Maura asked. Tears began to trickle down her pale cheeks. She shook her head. "He grabbed my wrist…" Jane's gaze dropped down. Dark purple finger marks were clearly visible on Maura's arm. "He was so fast…" Maura's hand reached up to touch the injuries on her face. "I hit the doorframe and he pulled me back and then…" Her eyes narrowed at the memory of the chloroform. "He used trichloromethane on me"

"Chloroform" Jane said, more to herself than to Maura. "He knocked you out."

Maura nodded quietly. "Yes. When I woke up I was in this room…" Her eyes found Jane's. They both knew the room she was talking about. They had both seen it. She did not have to say it for Jane to understand. "He came in and said he had to send a message to you. That was when he cut me…" Jane's eyes found the cuts on Maura's neck. "…the first time…"

There was a soft knock on the door and both women looked up. The door opened and revealed Angela Rizzoli carrying a large bouquet the most hideous bright coloured flowers Jane had ever seen. Upon realising that the brunette medical examiner was awake, Angela's eyes widened and she quickly put the flowers down on the table by the window before hurrying over to the bed and kissing Maura on her cheek. Jane watched how Maura smiled almost tenderly under her mother's loving.

"Oh I am so glad you're awake" Angela said and briefly cupped Maura's cheek. It was the sort of thing mother's do. Her eyes briefly found Jane's and she could see her daughter's relief. Angele smiled. "How are you feeling?" She then gestured at the flowers before Maura had a chance to answer. "Don't mind them. They are awful but it was the best they had downstairs. I just didn't want to turn up empty handed"

"It is lovely to see you, Mrs Rizzoli" Maura smiled and glanced at Jane who pulled a face. "And the flowers are…." Jane sensed she was trying to lie. She knew because Maura's lips twitched in that telling way. The medical examiner chose her words carefully. "…unusual…"

"Ma, could you go and get one of the nurses? I am sure they'd like to do some tests now that Maura is awake" Jane said and when her mother turned to look at her, ready to object, Jane gave her a meaningful look and the penny dropped. Angela kissed Maura on her cheek before hurrying back out of the room.

"You didn't have to do that, you know" Maura said softly and Jane looked at her.

"Do what?"

"Send your mother away because you're afraid she'll get upset seeing me like this."

Jane's eyebrows shot up in amusement. "I didn't send her away because I am afraid she'll get upset" she said with a little smirk and Maura cocked her head in surprise. "I just wanted a few more moments with you alone before the outside world finds its way in."

They looked at each other for a little while, their eyes never breaking contact. It was eventually Jane who spoke again. She looked down at her hands holding Maura's. "Maur, I am so sorry. I… This would never have happened if Hoyt…" She couldn't finish her sentence as the tears welled up behind her eyes. She swallowed hard. "This was all my fault"

"Jane…" Maura began in an attempt to change the raven haired detective's mind but Jane shook her head.

"When Hoyt tried to kill you I thought I was going crazy" she said softly. "I couldn't bear having to watch him hurt you right before my eyes. Something snapped inside of me when that blade cut your neck…" Slowly she looked up, allowing Maura to catch her gaze. They looked at each other, hazel for the first time truly seeing coffee coloured brown. "And when I realised you were gone.. Maura, I didn't know what to do. I think this is the closest I have ever come to experiencing insanity and it terrified me. It terrified me knowing that somebody out there was hurting you to get to me. And I… I am not sure if I can ever forgive myself for that."

"Jane, you can't do this to yourself" Maura said and she leant in. "This wasn't your fault. Pike is sick. We both know that. I know you know that. He is obsessed with Hoyt the same way that Hoyt was obsessed with you. We've both seen that wall in the living room. We know how he thinks, Jane. He was targeting you…"

"No Maura, he targeted you because he was trying to get to me" Jane said and there was a hint of aggression in her voice. Maura seemed taken aback. "He targeted you because he knew what you mean to me. And he wanted to take that away from me…"

She let Maura's hand slip out of her own the moment the door opened again and Angela appeared, followed by one of the nurses. The nurse flashed Jane a smile. She had become a familiar sight in the last thirty six hours. Whenever they had entered Maura's room, Jane had been there. She had accepted their cups of coffee and the hospital food they brought her but she had refused their offers to go home and shower. She was still wearing her bloodied clothes and her dark hair fell in greasy strings down the sides of her tired looking face. Jane Rizzoli was wrecked and it was there for the whole wide world to see.

"Jane?" Maura asked when Jane stood up without saying something and began walking to the door. Maura looked over the nurse's shoulder at the detective about to leave the room. She felt slightly abandoned and hurt by Jane's abrupt behaviour. "Jane, where are you going?"

"I am going to take a shower" Jane said through clenched teeth. Her knuckles turned white under the pressure with which she held the door handle. Her heart was pounding in her chest and there were so many emotions rushing through her that she didn't even know where to start. She did not turn around. She couldn't look at Maura. She didn't want her to see the tears that swam in her eyes. "And after that I am going to catch Pike and I am going to kill that son of a bitch!"

~()~

Her apartment was strangely clean and Jane suspected her mother had been round to tidy up whilst she had been in at the hospital with Maura. It was Angela's way of dealing with stress. Any reminders of her birthday party had been removed. Her coffee table as well as the kitchen counter was spotless. There was no washing up in the sink, no empty pizza boxes in the trash can. The house smelt of pine trees and as she walked past the TV unit she discovered the automatic air freshener that sprayed every so often. Jane wasn't sure whether to be happy or annoyed that her mother thought her house needed one of those things.

Jane stripped off and left the bloodied and rather smelly clothes outside the bathroom. She would incinerate them later, she thought to herself. There was no way she would ever be able to get the blood out of them. Once she stepped into the shower and turned on the water Jane closed her eyes. She tilted her head back and let the steaming hot water rain down on her. And out of nowhere the tears came. They streamed down her cheeks, mixing with the water, before disappearing down the drain. And Jane cried. She couldn't remember ever having cried like this. Her sobs echoed off the bathroom walls and her body shook and trembled as she slowly sank down onto the shower floor, pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on her arms. Something inside of her had broken.

~()~

After an hour Jane had gotten dressed in her usual charcoal coloured slacks, a white shirt and matching charcoal jacket. She zipped up her boots, brushed a damp curl out of her eyes and double checked she was carrying her gun and badge before grabbing her car keys of the counter. She left her apartment, made her way down to the building's entrance and realised upon stepping outside that it had started to rain. She ran to her car, got in and started the engine. Automatically the radio started playing and Jane listened for a little while.

_"…Maybe it's love, I should be strong for. I'm tearing down the walls inside…"_

With one brisk gesture she turned the radio off and clutched the wheel before manoeuvring the car out of its usual spot in front of her building. As she made her way through the Boston traffic in silence, Jane did not allow her mind to wander. She wanted to remain focused on Pike and Pike only. He was what mattered now. She wanted to take him out. She wanted him to stop hurting Maura. It did not matter what it took, she wanted him off the streets and there was one thing Jane Rizzoli did not fail at; she _always_ got the perp.

When she arrived at headquarters she immediately went up to homicide and walked in to find Korsak and Frost behind their respective desks. Both looked up when she walked in and shared a look of surprise.

"Hey, we thought you'd be in the hospital with Dr Isles" said Korsak.

"Sitting at Maura's bedside isn't going to catch Pike" Jane snapped and slumped down in her chair. She ran her hand through her hair and her eyes fixed on Frost. "Please tell me you found something useful in the last thirty six hours?"

"We're watching all his credit and bank cards" said Frost. "If he makes a payment anywhere, we'll know. There is a BOLO out on his car but…" He didn't finish sentence though Jane knew what he was going to say. Boston was a big city and she suspected he wasn't going to try and get back into town. She sighed.

"He works for the Western Mass Office" Jane said as she dug through her drawers and found an old road map. She spread it out across her desk and Korsak and Frost both stood up and peered over her shoulder. Jane's eyes narrowed. "Western Mass includes Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties. Are the local sheriff's department looking out for him too?" She looked up at Korsak standing behind her.

"Spoke to every single one of them. They have his details as well as a picture" he answered. He then pointed at something on the map. "That's where I would go if I wanted to blend in. Small communities are not as likely to take kindly to strangers. In a big city it is easier to disappear"

"Springfield?" Jane questioned in surprise. "Can someone tell me when exactly Pike joined the Simpsons?"

"Springfield is nearly 90 miles from here" said Frost and he glanced at his watch. "It would take him nearly two hours to get from Boston to there…"

"He wasn't_ in_ Boston" Jane reminded him and Frost nodded. "Pike was at Quabbin Reservoir which means he could have gotten there a lot quicker. He was already gone when we found Maura. God only knows how much of a head start he has…"

"So we have nothing" Korsak had to admit and Jane rested her head in her hands. "CSU went over the cabin with a fine toothed comb. Found hairs belonging to Dr Isles as well as Pike's. Blood all belongs to Dr Isles. No other DNA was found. Pike knows his forensics. He would know better than to leave any prints. They err…" He glanced at Frost. "They took the pictures down from the wall"

"What, the ones of me and Hoyt?" Jane's head snapped up and she stared at Korsak. "Where are they?"

"Jane, do you really think you should look at those? Pike is crazy. He is obsessed with Hoyt and you. Those pictures probably won't tell us anything…" Korsak argued but Jane shook her head.

"They won't tell _you_ anything, Korsak" Jane reminded him and her eyes darkened. "Because you didn't know Hoyt…."

She was about to walk out of the department when Cavanaugh walked in and stopped her from leaving. His eyes raked over the detective's tired looking frame before coming to a rest on the dark circles around her eyes. She was pale and her eyes had sunken a little deeper into her head. He noticed the dry, flaky lips and the burst veins in her left eye. "Where are you going, detective?"

"Going over some evidence, lieutenant" Jane forced herself to remain at least reasonably polite and tried to go around to him to get to the door. She should have known better. Cavanaugh remained in her way, obstructing her path to the door and he shook his head.

"You look like you could use some sleep"

She gave him a look. The same look she had given her mother. She did not differentiate between people when they were irritating her. "I can sleep when I'm dead, Lieutenant."

"Keep going like this, Rizzoli, and that might be a lot quicker than you expected."

"With all due respect, Lieutenant, I haven't got time to argue about my sleeping patterns right now. There is a psychopath out there who almost killed Dr Isles and it is my job to find him!" Jane said and her words dripped with venom. She once again tried to go around him but Cavanaugh wasn't budging. Jane glanced over her shoulder long enough to see Korsak and Frost share a look of amusement and in frustration she threw her hands up in the air.

"Go home, Rizzoli. Get some sleep." Cavanaugh said. Jane knew he was doing it with the best intentions. He was a complete dick sometimes but she respected him and she knew he was looking out for her but right now she would have quite happily smashed his head through a brick wall if it meant she could go off and find Pike.

"Lieutenant…" Jane began but he shook his head.

"Don't make me turn this into an order, detective" he said sharply and Jane sighed in defeat. "You are to go home and not turn up here for the next forty eight hours…" He glanced at Korsak and Frost. "And I trust that your partners will see to it you do as I instruct, Rizzoli"

"Of course, Lieutenant" said Korsak but as Cavanaugh turned around he winked at Jane.

Jane admitted her defeat and pushed open the doors leading to the elevators. She pushed the down button and watched the lights change. Someone walked up behind her and she turned to find Korsak standing a few steps away from her. He looked at her with concern and cocked his head. "Why are you here, Jane?"

"Same as you" she replied. "To find Pike"

"Why aren't you in the hospital with Dr Isles?"

She didn't answer and her gaze dropped down to her feet. She wasn't exactly sure why she wasn't with Maura. It was where she wanted to be. It was where her heart told her to go. But her brain was telling her something different. It was her love for Maura, the bond they shared, that had caused this pain. It was because of what they were, of what they could possibly become, that Maura was lying in that hospital bed right now. She had done this to her, Jane felt. Because of how she felt towards Maura, because of what her feelings meant. Loving Maura had almost been the death of her. And Jane knew that that was the reason why she wasn't with Maura now. Because being with her meant she was putting her in danger. And she couldn't do that to her. Not again. Not anymore.

"Maura is fine without me" Jane answered without making eye contact. The soft 'ping' behind her announced the arrival of the elevator. She glanced up briefly. "You know where to find me. Just make sure Cavanaugh doesn't find out you're keeping me informed."

"Jane?" said Korsak just before she stepped into the elevator and she turned around. "Don't do this to yourself…"

"Do what?"

"This!" he exclaimed. "Look at you! You're not sleeping, you have dark rings around your eyes, you have barely eaten in the last three days and now you're abandoning Dr Isles in a hospital?" Jane's eyes snapped up at those last words. Korsak stared at her, almost desperately. She reminded him of what she had looked like in those first few seconds after he found her in that basement. She had been so scared, so broken. She held herself responsible, blamed herself, to this very day. Korsak had long ago given up on trying to tell her different. She needed that resentment towards herself to be the great detective she was. "What are you running from, Jane?"

"I am not abandoning Maura!" Jane hissed. Her voice was dangerously low. "I am trying to protect her!"

"By leaving her alone in some hospital bed wondering where the hell you are?" Korsak retorted and Jane blinked in surprise. It was unlike him to have a go at her. "Because that, Jane Rizzoli, would probably the biggest mistake you'd ever make!"

"I put her there, Korsak" Jane sighed. She felt tired. Her body ached. She wished she could find the rest to sleep but her mind just wouldn't let her. She had dozed a little as she had sat by Maura's bed but every time she saw Maura's body, covered in blood. She heard her whisper, begging for help. She could not erase the images from her mind. Right at this moment Jane didn't know if she would ever sleep again. "She is in that bed because of me!"

"She is in that bed because of Pike!"

"Because of Pike's obsession with me!" Jane argued and she could see Korsak was getting desperate. "Because he knew how I feel about Maura. What she means to me. He knew that I could never…." She hesitated. "…That I could never go on without her. He saw it in my eyes when we were dealing with Paddy Doyle. He saw how I looked at her, how she looked back at me. And I knew I could never tell her, Vince. I knew I could never tell her because if Hoyt ever found out I loved her…"

"He would hurt her…" Korsak finished her sentence and looked at the dark haired detective. She stood there, helpless, and her big dark eyes stared up at him in a mixture of fear and pure desperation. When he stretched out his arms she eagerly threw herself into his embrace and he held her as she struggled to come to terms with everything she was feeling right at this moment. He stroked her hair, just like he had done when she had sought his protection after jamming a scalpel into Hoyt's chest. He held her like a father comforted a daughter, like a friend protected a friend.

"Go back to her, Jane"

"You think I should?" she asked without moving away from the embrace. She stared at her own distorted reflection in the elevator wall. She looked dreadful. She could even see it herself.

"Yes Jane, I think you should. And maybe not today but some day you will have to be honest with her" Korsak said and held Jane at an arm's length. He gave her an encouraging smile and she tried to smile back. "Life is never fair on you is it, Jane Rizzoli?" She shrugged. "Go and see Maura. She needs you now far more than we need you. You know what it is you need to do…" He put his hand just above her chest. "In here…"

"Thanks, Korsak" Jane smiled and at that moment the elevator doors swung open and they had arrived in the entrance hall. Jane stepped out and turned to watch the doors close on her partner. He gave her one last smile and then she turned back towards the doors, pushed her hands in her pocket and began to walk. She had somewhere to be. Somewhere that was maybe even more important than finding Pike.

She had to be with Maura.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Jane carefully opened the door to Maura's room and peered inside. She smiled to herself when she found the brunette medical examiner sleeping. Her head was tilted to one side and her long hair had fallen away from her neck, revealing one of the deep cuts in her flesh. Jane quietly closed the door behind her and made her way around the bed on her tiptoes. She pulled up the chair in which she had slept earlier and sat down. She never took her eyes off Maura. She looked brighter than she had done earlier this morning, Jane thought. There was some colour in her face now.

"It is rude to stare" Maura whispered and her eyes fluttered open as she turned to look at Jane.

Jane didn't answer but merely smiled.

"You're clean" Maura observed and Jane now openly smiled. "That's quite an improvement. Maybe now I can tell the nurses you are no longer considered to be a bio hazard."

"Very funny, Dr Isles" Jane smirked and placed her hand on Maura's. It felt warm hers and her fingers intertwined with Maura's effortlessly. It was such a natural feeling. "I wouldn't quite consider a career as a stand-up comedian just yet though.

Maura looked at their linked hands. "I didn't think you were coming back…"

"Maura…" Jane realised that Maura had known exactly what had been going through her head and she instantly felt guilty. "Maura, I'm sorry."

"I understand, Jane. Really, I do"

"You do?"

"Ever the tone of surprise" Maura smirked and Jane's dark eyes twinkled. "But yes, I do"

Jane didn't answer. There were so many things she wanted to say. So many things she felt she _had _to say. She wanted to apologise. She wanted Maura to know, to really know, that she never meant for any of this to happen. And yet she knew that the other woman understood. Maura had always known exactly how she felt. And that last thought suddenly made Jane sit up and she looked at the younger woman in surprise. She frowned. "Exactly _how _do you understand?"

"You feel that because of our friendship Pike targeted me. He did that to get to you. And you feel that if you're keeping your distance I'll be save" said Maura and Jane was struck by how theoretical it sounded. But most of all she was struck by Maura's clear voice and reasoning. She seemed so much stronger now than she had done earlier this morning. Jane shook her head. She was slightly lost for words and a sheepish grin fell over her face.

"You, Maura Isles, are amazing."

Maura smiled at that statement and both women giggled for a little while before Maura eventually took a deep breath. "Any sign of Pike?"

"Nothing" Jane answered and looked at Maura's hand lying in her own. "We can't seem to find him anywhere. He's probably gone off the grid somewhere. If he managed to set all of this up I don't doubt that he can make himself disappear and…" Her voice was cut off as the thought hit her and she looked at Maura. "Hang on, I need to call Korsak"

She leapt up and made a bee line for the door before Maura could call her back. She made sure to check the door was closed behind her and then dug her cell phone out of her pocket and dialled Korsak's number. He answered after the second ring.

"How's the wonderful Dr Isles?" he questioned.

"Fantastic" Jane answered and her eyes nervously darted around the corridor. Two doors down one of the nurses just left one of the rooms and she was about to tell Jane off for using her phone but she quickly flashed her badge. The nurse seemed startled for a second but then carried on doing her duties. Jane focused on Korsak. "I need you to do something for me"

"Sure" Korsak answered. "And I take it Cavanaugh doesn't have to know about this?"

"Unless you want to count pencils in the storage room for the rest of your career…" Jane said and she heard Korsak snort on the other side. She ran her fingers through her hair and her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn't believe she was actually about to do this but she had no idea what other options she had left. She had to protect Maura. She had to protect her family. "Go in my drawer and find me that file I keep in there for emergencies…"

"File? What file?" Korsak clearly did not understand what Jane was trying to say.

Jane groaned and her eyes fixed on another nurse walking her way. She turned around and pressed the phone a little tighter against her ear. "The file that is stashed in the back of my top drawer…" There was a hint in her voice. A hint she knew he would understand. She took in a sharp breathe and waited for him to answer. It took a few seconds for the penny to drop.

"Oh…." He paused. "_That_ file…"

"Yes" Jane answered and swallowed. Her heart hammered against her ribcage and the palms of her hands became clam. "Can you bring it to the hospital? And don't let Cavanaugh see you!"

Korsak hung up without answering and Jane put her phone back in her pocket. She rested her back against the wall for a few minutes and ran her fingers through her hair. She was about to do something she had never believed herself capable of doing. Once she felt reassured the worry was no longer visible on her face she went back into Maura's room and sat back down in the chair beside her bed.

"Did you get hold of Korsak?" Maura asked and Jane looked up, slightly bewildered.

"What? Yeah. He's coming over to drop something off" she answered without making eye contact. She quickly change the subject of their conversation. "Have the doctors said how long you have to stay in for?"

"My blood pressure is normal, the stitches are all still in place and there are no signs of any permanent trauma" Maura recited and she brushed her hair aside, revealing the cuts on her skin. "If I can keep my food down they said I can leave tomorrow but…" She sheepishly smiled and Jane met her gaze. "They recommended someone look after me for the first few days"

"I'm sure Ma would love to help you with that" Jane smirked teasingly and Maura pulled a face. She cocked her head. "Oh you want me to babysit you?"

"Jane…"

Jane laughed and arched an eyebrow. "Glad to see you got your sense of humour back. Or some form of it anyway…"

Maura rested back in the pillows and her hazel eyes fixed on Jane's face. There were so many things she wanted to say. She watched the lines on the dark haired woman's face. The dark rings under her eyes, the slight gaunt expression. Jane looked tired. Maura could see that. She wondered when the last time was the raven haired detective had slept. She searched for Jane's hand and found it. "When I said I understand…"

Jane shook her head. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this. "Maura…"

"We need to talk about this, Jane" Maura urged and Jane's eyes snapped up. It wasn't often that Maura looked stern or strict but now that she did Jane realised how frightened and hurt the caramel haired woman really was. She could see it in those intense hazel eyes. She wasn't the only one experiencing a rush of emotions. Maura was just as torn up inside as she was.

"Can we talk about this another time?" Jane said softly and looked down at Maura's hand covering hers. "I promise we'll talk but… not now, OK?

"I am scared too, Jane" Maura admitted and she swallowed. Her words were but a soft whisper. "I am scared too."

"I know you are, sweetie, and I am so sorry. None of this would have happened if I had just managed to keep my feelings under control. You would not be lying here if Hoyt had not learnt the truth" Jane sighed and the emotions rushed through her. She had never been so desperate in her life. "God, I can't wait till we're home and we can talk about this, Maur. I just want all of this to be over. I want to move on, far away from this."

"I know" Maura whispered, still holding Jane's hand.

They looked at each other for a while without speaking. The atmosphere between them betrayed the electricity and sparks. Their eyes said more than words ever could. They both knew they had to talk about this but they also understood there was no way things could ever go back to how they were before. Too much had happened and things had changed between them. Maura and Jane both knew that and they did not have to talk to understand. They would have to find a way forwards from here, whatever way that was going to be. But for now they both just lived in the moment of being together, their hands linked, skin to skin. And then Jane smiled.

"We are some fools, aren't we?" she asked.

"Generally, admitting sexual attraction can cause quite a mental imbalance in people" Maura answered and watched how the dark haired detective rolled her eyes. "Sorry"

"It's all right. It is quite refreshing actually" Jane smiled sheepishly. "Though I don't think with you in a hospital bed this is the right time to talk about it and…" She was cut short by a soft knock on the door and both women looked up. A young doctor appeared and his eyes immediately found Maura. He then glanced at Jane and smiled. His gaze eventually dropped on their united hands.

"Good to see you so alert, Dr Isles" he said with a smile and ticked something on the notepad he was carrying. "How are you feeling?"

"All right, considering the circumstances" Maura replied.

"You'd be pleased to know that your partner never left your side, doctor" he said without looking up from his notes. "The nurses said she camped out in this room the moment you came in. She was quite the topic of conversation. Personally I don't think the bloodied clothing helped…" He looked up and found Jane and Maura staring at him in amusement. "What, did I say something?"

Jane smirked. "No…" she answered with a giggle. "Nothing at all"

The door opened again and Korsak poked his head around. Jane almost leapt out of her chair after squeezing Maura's hand and walked up to her partner. She carefully closed the door behind her and turned to the older detective. Her eyes narrowed. "Very funny, Korsak. Did you tell him to say that?"

"Tell who what?" he asked, looking shocked. Jane's expression however was priceless and he had to bite his lip so he wouldn't laugh at her.

"The doctor!" Jane gestured at the door. The moment he had walked in and looked at her and Maura's she had suspected there was something more to it. She cocked her head. "He called me Maura's partner…"

"Well, you are, aren't you?" Korsak winked and dodged a punch aimed at his shoulder. "Oh come on Jane… you sat at her bedside for hours. You even slept there. You didn't want to go home, you didn't sleep, you didn't eat and you were holding her hand. Is it so surprising that people assume there is more between you and Dr Isles than just friendship?"

Jane thought about those words for a moment and frowned. "Maybe not." She looked back up. "Did you bring the file?"

"Strangest file I've ever seen" Korsak said as he put the phone in the palm of Jane's hand. His grey eyes found hers as Jane's fingers closed around the hard plastic. It felt safe, secure. It felt right. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

She shrugged. "What is right and what is wrong now? Fact is we can't find Pike. He has vanished off the surface of the Earth. Doyle has methods of finding him we can only dream off. Besides, Pike hurt is daughter. I am sure Doyle will have a thing or two to say about that…"

"I had Frost look into the Irish mob" Korsak said and Jane's eyes narrowed. "After you called Doyle and said someone took Maura. He said he'd do his own investigation. We had a look through the last homicide cases reported but none of them link back to Doyle. If he did do his own research, he didn't have anybody killed because of it"

"That makes me feel loads better" Jane groaned and gave Korsak a look. He immediately understood that deep down she felt conflicted about this but she would do whatever it took to protect her family and Maura was her family, her everything. "Go sit with Maura for a while, OK? I need to make a call. If she asks where I am just tell her I went to get some coffee"

Korsak nodded and Jane watched as he disappeared into Maura's room. She slipped the cell phone in her pocket and then made her way down the corridor, past the nurse's station and eventually out of the ward and towards the elevators. She pushed the button and weighed alongside a heavily pregnant woman and a nervous looking teenage boy before stepping in. She made her way down into the entrance hall of the hospital, made her way through a crowd of patients, visitors and doctors. She eventually stepped outside and her lungs eagerly expanded with the fresh air. The wind played with her hair and she found an empty bench to sit on a few hundred feet away from the main entrance door.

She pressed the speed dial button and placed the phone by her air. It rang. And it rang again. By the third ring somebody answered and she immediately recognised Doyle's voice.

"Detective Rizzoli" he said. "Where's my daughter?"

"She is safe" Jane answered and she would swear she could hear him sigh in relief. "She is at Boston Medical Centre though I am afraid family visiting hours do not include mob fathers" She paused. "She is recovering well and the doctors say she should be good to go home tomorrow. You know Maura. She's a fighter."

"Yes, she is" Doyle answered. "She is so much like her mother."

"Don't give me the crap about how much the protection of her mother means to you. If it really was that important to you, you would have told Maura the truth by now" Jane snapped and her eyes drifted around the small patio area she was sitting in. People strolled by on their way to visit their friends and loved ones, the same way she had done. She took a deep breath, held it and then let it escape. "There is something I need you to do for me, Doyle."

"Boston's finest are asking the mob for help?" He seemed to be taunting her.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" Jane retorted sharply.

"So you said before." He reminded her of the previous time she had called him. She hated admitting she needed his help but right now it was the only way. She would deal with the question of right and wrong later.

"Maura's kidnapper is a man by the name of John Pike. He is a medical examiner and works in Western Massachusetts. He is the one who hurt your daughter but the police are unable to track him down. They suspect he might be hiding somewhere in Springfield but if you ask me, he could be anywhere. Men like him rely on their familiarity and safety and Pike suffers from OCD. There will be things he needs to do." Jane said and she listened to Doyle's heavy breathing on the other side. "I need you to find him."

"Find him?" Doyle asked. "And kill him?"

"That depends on the situation" Jane answered through clenched teeth. She felt contempt though she wasn't sure whether it was solely aimed at Doyle or whether it was aimed at herself as well. This was what she had become, what she had allowed herself to turn into. She closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. "What is it you guys say again? Don't mess with my family? Maura is your family as much as she is mine. "

Doyle's answer was simple and clear. "I know that, detective. You do know that there is no way back now, do you? You cannot pretend these words were never spoken. You can never undo what you just asked of me."

"I know that" Jane answered and her heart tightened in her chest. It hurt, it ached. "God help me, I know."

"Very well" said Doyle slowly. "Consider this a favour, detective. A repayment for the safety you offer Maura. I know she loves you dearly. When she mentioned your name her eyes glistened like diamonds. Look after her for me."

"She can look after herself"

"Yes, so she told me. But it can't hurt to have you watching over her" Doyle said and if Jane didn't know better she would have almost believed he sounded like a kind, loving father. She sighed. Doyle's voice rang in her ears. "This is where our paths separate, detective. You never made this call."

"Goodbye" Jane said and suddenly thought of something. She was about to hang up.

"Doyle?"

"What, detective?"

"No ice picks"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Maura was discharged from the hospital the next day, much to Jane's surprise. She wasn't too happy about her leaving the safety of her room, especially with Pike still being out there and she was worried about the injuries Maura had sustained. It seemed however that the medical examiner was eager to leave and she sent Jane a beaming smile when she walked into the room. Maura stood by the bed, dressed in a pair of jeans, a dark pink V neck shirt and dark brown boots. Jane's eyes raked over the younger woman's frame and shook her head in disbelief. Only three days ago Maura had been bleeding so severely from her neck wounds that nobody knew for certain whether she would survive and here she stood; bright and beautiful as always.

"How come you still get to look good after having been through hell?" Jane groaned as she picked up the bag with Maura's stuff from the end of the bed. The brunette smirked and Jane smiled too. "Got everything? Toothbrush, painkillers?"

"All in the bag" Maura smiled and her hazel eyes twinkled. She took a step in Jane's direction. "Hey, you never told me what file it was Korsak brought you yesterday. Has it got anything to do with Pike?"

Jane felt her heart sink in her chest and she began messing with one of the zips on Maura's bag. She did not plan on telling Maura what it was she had done. It was a secret she would keep to herself, forever if she had to. Her voice trembled a little. "Err.. Yeah… some background info on that son of a bitch. Still didn't help us find him though." She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and picked up the bag, swung it over her shoulder and glanced at her best friend. "Well, c'mon then. Your limousine awaits, Dr Isles"

"Why thank you, detective Rizzoli" Maura answered and she followed Jane out of the room and left the door open behind her. It was Jane who glanced back over her shoulder at the bed where Maura had spent the last three days. She could still see her lying there, pale and weak, and she found it hard to comprehend they were actually leaving now. Jane would rather that Maura stayed but when she had suggested that option to her the previous night Maura had been reluctant to accept it. She told Jane she would feel better recovering at home. There was nothing else Jane could do than to accept that.

The journey through Boston was relatively painless and Jane managed to go through the whole journey without swearing at any of the other road users who were not driving to her liking. Every so often she glanced at Maura who stared out of the window. Jane's eyes lingered on the stitched up cuts on Maura's neck and she was painfully reminded of what had happened. She swallowed the lump in the back of her throat away and felt her heart ache in her chest. She knew that sooner or later they would have to talk. She wasn't sure whether she wanted it to tonight, tomorrow or next month.

Maura followed Jane inside and it wasn't until Jane turned the key and opened the door that the brunette seemed to become aware of where they were. She turned to look at the raven haired detective in surprise. "But Jane, this is your apartment."

"Really? We drove all the way here and you only just figured that out?" Jane snorted as she closed the door behind her and turned around to find Maura walking towards her couch. The brunette sat down and her eyes found Jane's across the distance of the room. She arched an eyebrow.

"Jane, why are we here? I thought you said you were taking me home."

"I did. My home." Jane answered with a grin and dropped Maura's bag to the floor. She walked across her apartment to the kitchen, opened the cupboards and pulled out two glasses and then turned to the fridge to pick up the Chinese take away menu stuck on the door. She could feel Maura follow her with her eyes and she turned to meet her gaze. The corners of her mouth twitched in amusement. "There is one thing my place doesn't have that your place does."

Maura frowned. "And what is that?"

"My mother"

Maura grinned in understanding and took the glass of cold water Jane gave her when she sat down beside her. She sipped from it and then eyed up the menu in Jane's hand. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she met Jane's gaze. "Are you just going to sit with that or are you going to order something?"

"Oh look at you…" Jane smiled and showed Maura the menu. "What is it you fancy?"

"I'll have whatever you're having" the brunette answered with a tiny smile and then leant back into the cushions with a pained expression on her face.

"Hey, you OK?"

"Just tired" Maura answered and she peered at Jane through her eyelashes. When Jane didn't answer she sat back up and her eyes searched the older woman's face. "Jane, what's going on?"

"This whole business with Pike…" Jane groaned and she rubbed the back of her hands. Her fingertips caressed the thick scars on her skin. There was anger in her voice. "It annoys me that we can't find him."

"You will, Jane."

Jane sighed. She hoped Maura was right but it was the method in which they would find Pike that played on her mind more than anything. She was desperate and she had done the one thing she knew could bring her closure. Nobody knew besides Korsak. It was his idea to get Doyle involved in the first place but that had been before they knew about Pike and they thought Maura's kidnap was mob related. Would he still understand why she did what she did even though they knew it had nothing to do with Doyle? She only hoped he would. He was her partner. He had her back. He would support her. Jane glanced at Maura, nervously. She wasn't so sure Maura would.

"Can we talk?" Maura unexpectedly said and she put her glass down. She tried to catch Jane's gaze but the detective averted her gaze. "Jane?"

"Maybe you should get some rest" Jane ignored what Maura had said. She stood up and began pacing in front of the TV unit. She pressed her hands together in anxiety and stared at her feet. "I can order the Chinese and you can go and have a lie down in the bedroom and I'll wake you when it gets here and…"

"JANE!" Maura called out and the dark haired woman stopped and turned around. "Stop this!"

Jane looked helpless, Maura thought. Her dark eyes had filled with sadness and fear and combined with the dark rings under her eyes it looked like Jane was the one who really needed the rest. Maura had not seen her so frantic since Hoyt's escape. Jane was scared and Maura knew it. And she knew what the dark haired detective was afraid of. It was the same thing Maura was afraid of. It was the elephant in the room. The one thing neither of them wanted to talk about but knew they had to. There was no way around it. If they wanted to move on, they had to talk.

"Maura…." Jane sighed and swallowed. "I…."

"Falling in love is considered a life changing experience" Maura said softly, her eyes fixed on Jane. The other woman stared at her, bewildered. "The term 'falling' in this case implies that the process is in some way inevitable, uncontrollable, risky and irreversible. Increased levels of dopamine give the same euphoric experience as the use of cocaine. Fenylethylamine causes an increased heart rate as well as increased perspiration."

"Thank you, Maura" Jane said dryly and brushed her hair out of her face. "Only you could manage to remove any and all romance from something like falling in love…" Maua looked rather sheepish and Jane sighed. "I don't know what to say, Maura."

"Start with how you're feeling…" Maura suggested.

Jane slowly walked towards the window and stared outside. It was going dark. "I feel like I am responsible for what happened to you. Everything Pike did is because of how I feel about you. He knows that you mean everything to me…" Her voice trailed off and comforted by the fact that Maura could not see her face Jane allowed the soft tears to trickle down her cheeks. "I have never felt this way before. About anyone. I thought I was in love but never before did I feel like somebody can complete me the way you do. You are so ridiculously intelligent, anti-social, goofy and amazing and yet you are… everything I could possibly ask for. I didn't even realise it first. You just became a part of my life, of me. You were just there, wherever I turned. I grew used to seeing you here, to be at your place and share more time together than any other married couple and yet…" She paused and swallowed. "I never even knew…"

"That's OK, Jane…"

She spun around. She had never even heard Maura approach but she stood right behind her. Two arms slipped around Jane's waist and hazel eyes found coffee brown. The intensity was something Jane had never seen before.

"It's OK" Maura said softly. "I know what you mean."

"Do you?" Jane questioned in surprise.

"To find someone who makes you a better person without you even realising it is something I never even believed in. I had seen how my mother and father loved each other, how they shared everything, but I never believed another love like that could exist…" Maura spoke quietly and she swallowed. "To know you were hurt, to know that Hoyt wanted to take you away from me… I could not live with that feeling, Jane. And at first I didn't understand why. But now I do. I know what I feel, Jane…"

"Maura…" Jane whispered but her lips were covered by Maura's slender index finger. Her words died on the tip of her tongue.

And then she kissed her.

A gentle, soft kiss. Her lips tasted of honey and cherries and Jane suddenly fully understood what it meant to feel thousands of butterflies in her stomach. She understood the meaning behind adrenaline rushing through her veins, oxytocin seeping into her blood. She suddenly understood all those seemingly crazy scientific things Maura talked about and her eyes slowly fluttered shut as her hands found their way onto the brunette's back and pulled her closer.

When they parted they rested their foreheads against each other and when Jane eventually opened her eyes, afraid to find it had been just a dream, she found Maura looking back at her. The brunette smiled tenderly and Jane's hand slipped up to cup the younger woman's cheek. Maura's skin was soft against her fingers and she smiled. She had never dared to imagine, even dared to hope, it would be like this. Never before had she experienced this strange feeling of familiarity and comfort.

"Maura Isles, you are a unique individual" Jane smiled.

Maura blinked. "I know."

"And an honest one too" Jane added and she let a strand of Maura's hair run through her fingers. "You should get some rest, sweetie."

"Ok" Maura whispered and rose onto her tiptoes to kiss Jane on her forehead. She then moved away from her, slowly, and both instantly missed the warmth of the other woman's body. She cocked her head. "Are we Ok?"

"We're good" Jane replied and watched how Maura slowly made her way towards the bedroom. She smiled to herself and nodded. "Yeah, we're good."

~()~

Jane had ordered the Chinese take away and was waiting for the delivery man. She had checked on Maura ten minutes ago and had found her asleep on her side of the bed, curled up on her side and her hands hugging Jane's pillow. She had watched her for a little while; touched by how calm and relaxed Maura looked, before making her way back into the living room. She sat down, switched on the TV and watched the sports highlights on ESPN. She wasn't really paying attention but it was something to do. There was a strange familiarity to knowing that Maura was asleep in the other room, in her bed. Jane enjoyed the knowledge and it left her feeling safe and comforted in knowing she was all right. She answered three text messages of her mother and two of Frankie, reassuring them that Maura was fine and she would see them in the morning. Her mother offered to make breakfast. Jane declined.

About half an hour had gone by when her cell phone vibrated on the coffee table and interrupted the abysmal coverage of the latest Red Sox game. She reached over to answer it, half and half expecting to be Angela. When she noticed the caller ID flashed 'unknown' a frown appeared on her face and apprehensively she answered.

"Rizzoli"

"Detective" said a familiar voice on the other side and Jane's eyes immediately darted towards the bedroom in the hope that Maura wouldn't wake up. Her heart pounded in her chest. She did not bother asking him how he got her number. He had called her once before, several weeks ago. She had no doubt he kept her number because it would come in use one day. She just did not dare think about what use that would be.

"Doyle"

"There is a package for you waiting to be collected in South Boston" said Doyle and Jane could swear she could hear a vague hint of amusement in his voice. She wished she could trace his call, though she had no clear idea of what she would do if she could. His voice was deep and low. "You'll find it in an abandoned shipping warehouse just west of the Fish Pier…"

"You… what?" Jane asked and suddenly she felt wide awake and alert. She knew the location Doyle was referring to. She had dealt with a case there in the past. It seemed the docks and the pier was a preferred location for people to leave dead bodies. The harbour and dock area were well known for its mob connections and it wasn't a surprise to hear Doyle mentioned it now. "The Fish Pier?"

"You'll know where to look when you get there, detective" answered Doyle and Jane suddenly hated how he was so cryptic. She wished she could reach through the phone and throttle him. He had found Pike but seemed to find some sick amusement in the fact she was depending on him to tell her where he was. "And be fast, detective. If you get there early enough the package might still have some value…"

"Value? You mean… he's _alive_?" Jane leapt to her feet and scrambled around looking for her gun and badge. She clipped them onto her belt and grabbed her car keys from the kitchen counter. Her fingers clutched the phone so tightly that her knuckles had gone white and she felt a surge of adrenaline different from the kind she had experienced earlier.

"For now"

Jane nibbled on her bottom lip. Something seemed off. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you asked me to, detective. You asked me to find the man who hurt my daughter. I did something Boston Police couldn't and we both know it. We are even now" answered Doyle and Jane wasn't sure whether she liked the thought of her and Paddy Doyle being even. Was there such a thing as being even with a career criminal? "You asked me to kill him, remember detective? I didn't."

"Why?" Jane breathed.

"Because you are not like me, Jane Rizzoli. We both know I never killed a man who didn't deserve it and this man deserves to die. However his blood doesn't deserve to be on your hands. There are some things you do not want to live with for the rest of your life."

"Don't tell me you have suddenly a conscience now, Doyle."

He had hung up.

Jane took a few seconds to compose herself and then slipped her phone in her pocket and made her way to the bedroom. She hesitated briefly outside the door and then her fingers closed around the door handle and she stepped inside. She sat down on the mattress and gently brushed a strand of hair out of Maura's face. The brunette's eyes fluttered open and she looked up to Jane.

"Hmmm? Jane?"

"I need to go" she whispered and leant in to kiss Maura's forehead. She smelled divine, Jane thought. And she looked so adorable, still half asleep. How had she never ever noticed any of these things before? How many more beautiful things were there still to discover? She kissed her cheek. "They've found Pike."

"What?" Maura's voice was weak and full of sleep. "Oh Jane…"

"Sssh" Jane shushed and smiled. "Save me some Chinese, OK?"

Maura's fingers closed around Jane's wrist as the dark haired detective stood up and Jane turned back. Maura looked up to her nervously. Jane felt encouraged by Maura's protectiveness. She wished she didn't have to leave her here but she knew that she was doing it for the right reasons. Maura's voice was still soft. "Be careful."

Jane smiled. "I will."

She left her apartment and reached for her phone again. She phoned Korsak and told him she had received an anonymous tip off about Pike's whereabouts and for him to meet her at the Fish Pier. Frost said he would make a short list of the abandoned warehouses and she heard Frankie in the back ground saying he would join in too and Jane felt a sense of confidence over the fact that everybody wanted to find Pike. But none of the three men wanted him as badly as Jane did. As she stepped in her car and slammed the door she felt powerful and strong. This was going to end.

Tonight.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay, ya'll. I got caught up in life a litle bit but here's another chapter. You guys have been amazing with all the reviews so please please keep them coming! ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Jane arrived at the Fish Pier almost the same time Frost, Korsak and Frankie did. They car had pulled up right outside one of the small coffee places and Jane jumped out of her car when she saw them. She ran across the pier towards them and the three men turned around when they heard her approach. Jane's hair waved around as she ran and she searched her pockets for an elastic band so she could tie it together. Finally she found one and pulled the dark locks back and into a messy ponytail.

"How dy you know Pike's here?" Korsak asked and Jane's eyes found his. For a few seconds she stared at him and watched the understanding slowly dawn in his eyes.

"If you need to ask you're probably not going to like the answer."

"You had a tip?" Frankie asked and he seemed unaware of the connection between Jane and Korsak. Frost knew better than to ask. He had his own thoughts and feelings on exactly how Jane had figured out where Pike was, though the Fish Pier was not what he had expected. He gave the younger office a look and Frankie fell silent.

"Yeah. Anonymous. Said the guy the whole Boston PD is looking for is hiding in a warehouse at the Fish Pier" Jane answered and her eyes wandered around. As per usual the pier was full of tourists. Strange, she had never found it that fascinating herself. She didn't understand the appeal of people watching fishing boats come in and see fish get gutted right there in front of them. But there was more to the pier than that. There was an exhibit on as well, Jane knew, there were different marina facilities and a monument of public art. She had never seen it herself.

"A warehouse?" Frankie's eyebrows shot up and he gestured around. "Look around, Jane. There are tons of them around!"

"Yes, I know" Jane sounded agitated. "But this is an empty warehouse. There aren't that many…" Her eyes narrowed. "And it will have been empty for a while.." She glanced at Korsak who immediately understood what she was aiming at. A warehouse that was solely used by the mob for their dirty work. "Probably hasn't been used for anything fishing related for decades. How many buildings date back to the seventies around here?"

"The Pier was established in 1914 but changed ownership in 1972" said Korsak and Frost stared at him, bewildered and amazed that his partner seemed to know random facts like that. "My guess is most of these buildings were either already here or were built shortly after."

"Gees, Korsak, looks like Dr Isles is rubbing off on you…"

"Frost. Frankie, go east and see if you find any empty warehouses that match the description. Don't go in!" Jane reminded them though she suspected Pike was not in much of a state to do anything if she had to believe Paddy Doyle. "Korsak and I will go west. Call me if you find anything…" The two men nodded and Jane watched them walk off into the opposite direction before turning to Korsak. "I couldn't tell them."

"I know. What did he say?"

"That there is a package waiting to be picked up in an old abandoned shipping warehouse and it can be found just west of the Fish Pier" Jane said and her eyes drifted across the pier and briefly stared out over the rather grubby looking ocean filled with small fishing boats. There was nothing romantic or beautiful about this location at all. "Can we keep this between us? Frankie doesn't know about Doyle and Maura and the less people know the better."

Korsak merely nodded and the two detectives began walking west, towards the warehouses that lined up the back end of the Pier and then onto the industrial estate that lay behind it. Jane felt her heart pound in her chest as she let her eyes scan over the name signs of the various companies using the warehouses. There were so many and she felt a little desperate that perhaps she wouldn't find Pike in time. She couldn't be happier if he died but Doyle had gone through the effort not to burden her with his death.

When they had been walking for about fifteen minutes Korsak suddenly held still outside a rather shabby looking building and Jane turned. He stood by one of the darkened windows, peering inside through the grime and grease. He pointed at the sign over the door. There was no name. Only a black ice pick painted on a simple white wooden background. It looked strangely new and fresh and Jane instantly realised this was the place they had been looking for.

"The ice pick…" she breathed. "… It's Doyle's trademark…" She glanced up along the building's walls. The paint had long faded but there were still vague hints of what had once been red paint spelling out a company name. Jane could just about make out the word 'shipping'. Her eyes found Korsak and she nodded. "This is it."

Korsak tried the door and to his surprise it wasn't locked. It creaked as it gave way and he drew his gun, followed closely by Jane. Clutching a flash light in one hand and crossing the arm with her gun, Jane stepped into the rather dark warehouse. It smelt of old, damp wood and fish guts and for a second she gagged. The grease and grime on the windows allowed only a minimal amount of light to fall inside. The floors were plain concrete and there were a few pillars that seemed to support the roof. Once they would have been beautiful wood, Jane thought, but the paint had begun to fade and the wood had started to splinter. This place had not seen any love or care for many decades and Jane did not dare think about what it had been used for since it had been closed.

Korsak was only two steps ahead of her and the bright beams of their flashlights cut through the darkness of the room and bounced off the walls and windows. Their footsteps sounded hollow on the concrete floor. It was strangely cool inside and Jane could feel the hairs in the back of her neck stand up. For a split second she was reminded of that horrible night that already felt like too long ago; descending into that cellar where she knew Hoyt had been. Automatically her eyes dropped to her hands and in the weak light she could see the scars. All of that had led to this.

"Jane…" Korsak's soft voice broke through the silence and it echoed around the room. She looked up and found him standing by the wall furthest away from her. In the beam of his flashlight she saw what he was looking at. It was Pike. He was slumped down against the wall, his head lulled to the left. It was hard to tell where some parts of his face ended and others began. As Jane came closer she noticed he was covered in blood and badly bruised. His nose looked like it was broken in three separate places and the strange positioning of his jaw, the poking bone in his cheek, told her the same thing. The blood had already begun to dry and she let her eyes wander up to his eyes. Both were swollen and looked like they had been beaten shut.

"Is he…" she breathed, unable to finish her sentence.

Korsak leant in and pressed his fingers against the assistant medical examiner's throat. "I feel a pulse."

"Get a bus!"

"Jane..."

"GET A FREAKING BUS!"

Korsak gave her one last glance before digging his cell phone out of his pocket and making his way towards the door. There was no signal inside. He turned around about halfway and let the beam of his flashlight dance over Jane's slender frame as she knelt down in front of Pike, scrutinizing his face. Korsak knew deep down that it was perhaps not best to leave her with him but Jane had asked him to. It was what partners did, right? They listened.

Once Jane could no longer hear Korsak's footsteps on the concrete floor she leant in to Pike. She had seen the flutter behind his swollen eyelids. She knew he could hear her. Her fingers closed around his wrist, which she also found broken. The instant pain made his eyes snap open. They were blood shot and Jane guessed at least one, if not both, sockets were broken. He recognised her. She could see it dawn in his eyes. A hint of fear laced with a sick sense of amusement. She was now so close to him she could see the drops of blood stuck to his eyelashes.

"How does it feel, you sick son of a bitch?" she hissed. Her fingers closed around his wrist tighter, causing him excruciating pain. "How does it feel, eh? To be so _fucking_ helpless and to be left at the mercy of another human being…" She hesitated. The idea of hurting him filled her with a sense of victory. She could do to him what he had done to Maura, what he had done to her. The anger poisoned her blood, the hatred ate away at her inside. Her eyes wandered over his beaten and bruised face. Doyle had done a right number on him. "I should leave you here to die. Leave you to agonizingly slowly drown in your own blood.."

"Jane…" he murmured, It did not sound as vile as when Hoyt had spoken her name out loud but still she cringed. "If you let me die…. You will be no better…. Than him…" He paused and his eyes seemed to roll back into his head. "You did this to me… You wanted me… to suffer…" His eyes found hers. "You are like him, Jane."

"Oh but you're wrong" Jane whispered. Her hand slipped up from his wrist to his face and her fingertips wandered over his broken jaw. A feather light touch. The anticipation of the pain frightened him, she saw. It was torture and deep down the idea of getting back at him, to do to him what he had done to Maura, filled her with an intense desire. She wanted him to suffer. "I am nothing like him. I'm gonna let you live, Pike. And every day you get to suffer. 23 hours a day without any human contact, one hour out in the yard. Nobody to keep you company but your own sick fantasies. You get to suffer and dwell on your own loneliness until it slowly drives you insane…"

"You forget one thing" he cut her off and some blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. The corners of his lips curled up into a twisted grin. Even under the pain he felt he still wanted to triumph over her. "I am already insane, Jane."

"Son of a bitch!" Jane cried out and the emotions suddenly poured out of her. The outcry of her own agony combined with his cry of pain as her fingers poked into his broken jaw echoed off the stone cold walls. He writhed underneath her as the pain consumed him and Jane watched with a dark, twisted look as his face contorted into a mask of pain. Tears streamed down her own face. Tears over Hoyt. Tears for Maura and for herself. And for the fact that there was this small part of her that really wanted him to die.

She heard footsteps approach behind her and she staggered to her feet and stumbled backwards, directly into Korsak's arms. He was closely followed by Frankie and Frost. Frankie stared at Pike in confusion and horror before glancing at Jane. Frost seemed emotionless. He knew the story of things but had chosen to remain silent. He watched how Korsak wrapped his arms around Jane and held her, much like he had held her when they had saved her and Maura from Hoyt.

"Paramedics should be here shortly" Frost stated rather business like and watched how Frankie hesitantly walked towards Pike and observed the bruising on his face.

"Someone beat him up real good" he said slowly and turned to face his sister. She had let go of Korsak and now turned around too. "What happened, Jane?"

"I don't know" Jane answered with a straight face. "The tip said he would be here. It didn't say someone had done us a favour and beaten him to a pulp…" She shrugged and gave her brother a final glance. "Not much of a loss though, right?"

No one answered and Jane turned around and began walking back to the door through which she had come in. In the distance she could hear the wailing sirens of the ambulance and she turned to the door. The ice pick sign stared back at her, almost taunted her, and she reached for it. It wasn't nailed into the wall very well and she pulled it down. Holding it in her hand she continued walking until she eventually reached her car. The paramedics rushed past her but she did not turn around to look at them. She stood beside her car for a moment, looking forlorn. Her eyes wandered around the pier and fixed on the tourists, the fishermen and the boats bobbing along on the water as the waves came in. She should feel a sense of relief but the emotions did not find her yet. She felt empty and numb. It was over and yet it did not feel like it had finished. Instead of getting into the car Jane slowly walked to the end of the pier and stared down into the grubby looking ocean before letting the sign slip from her fingers. She looked as the ice pick sign slowly sank to the bottom of the sea, disappearing into its dark depths.

Nobody would ever know.

~()~

The first thing Jane noticed when she finally got home was the fact that there were no Chinese take away boxes waiting for her on the kitchen counter. The second thing she noticed was the distinct and penetrant smell of disinfectant. Closing the door behind her she felt her heart sink in her chest. She dropped her keys, gun and badge on the side and let her eyes wander around her apartment.

"Ma?"

Footsteps came from the bathroom and her mother appeared. She was positively beaming, Jane saw, and that slightly unnerved her. Angela walked up to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her before kissing her on the cheek.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, looking up at Jane.

"Gees, I think the smell of Clorox gave it away" Jane sighed and rolled her eyes. She walked into the kitchen and Angela followed. The surface had never been this clean, Jane thought. She turned to look at her mother. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to check up on Dr Isles. Frankie called when you guys head out to go and find the guy that did this so I came to see if she's all right" Angela answered in all honesty and Jane couldn't help but smile when she saw her mother's face. She had really tried to do the best thing and be kind. But then something dawned on her.

"Ma, your car is at the garage. How did you get here?"

"I took a bus."

"You? _You_ took a bus?" Jane echoed and her mother's eyebrows shot up in defence as her daughter mocked her. "Ma, you are the only person in the whole of Massachusetts who can get lost between her own drive way and the end of the road and you're telling me you figured what bus to take from Maura's to get to my apartment?" She grinned. "All these years I underestimated you!"

"Thank you for finally admitting that" Angela said and Jane grinned. "Oh by the way, I put your Chinese take-out in the fridge. You really shouldn't leave that out, Janie. You can get food poisoning that way!"

"Where's Maura?" Jane suddenly asked and her dark eyes found her mother's.

"In the bedroom" Angela answered and Jane bolted across the apartment towards her bedroom, nearly tripping over Jo Friday who had come to say hello. "She had something to eat and then she said she was going to take a shower. That was half an hour ago. I haven't seen her since."

Jane carefully knocked on her bedroom door and waited for a reply. When none came she knocked again but still there was no answer. She reached for the door knob and took a deep breath before a little smile spread across her face. "You had better be decent, Maura Isles. I am coming in."

She stepped into the bedroom and found it dark. Maura had closed the curtains. The only light was the small lamp on her bedside table and Jane quickly discovered a familiar shape under her duvet. Maura lay with her back towards the door, on her side, turned away from Jane. Even now that the door opened she did not stir and Jane thought that perhaps she was asleep. Quietly she took off her shoes and socks, she knew how Maura hated it if she wore them to bed, and then she climbed on the bed and crawled towards Maura's figure under the duvet.

To her surprise Maura did not respond when her arm snaked around her waist and she placed a small kiss in the base of her neck. Maura's honey coloured hair smelt of Jane's favourite shampoo and the combination filled Jane's heart with intense joy. She continued kissing Maura's neck, softly and gently, but when after about five minutes she still did not receive a response, her eyes narrowed.

"Am I that bad that I can't even get you to move?" she whispered, her lips close to Maura's ear. "And don't tell me you're sleeping, Maura. I can tell by your breathing that you're not."

"If I were to tell you I was sleeping I would obviously not be sleeping, would I?" Maura retorted and Jane seemed slightly taken aback. She knew the medical examiner was awake. It was why she had kissed her in the first place. She wanted, needed, the comfort. And she wanted to give Maura the reassurance that it was now really over. But what she heard now were tears. She could hear how they constricted Maura's voice. She sounded husk and tired.

"Maura, are you crying?" she whispered. When the younger woman shook her head Jane sighed. "Don't give me that crap about those glands you can't control, Maura. Why are you crying?"

Slowly Maura turned around onto her back and in the dim light of the bedside lamp Jane could see the clear bright red tear tracks on the younger woman's face. Seeing that she actually had been crying almost broke her heart. She reached up and her thumb slowly brushed the stray tears away and she weakly smiled. "We found Pike."

"I know. Frankie called your mother half an hour ago to tell her you found the guy that almost killed me." Maura answered softly and Jane suddenly felt her heart drop and she wondered what else Frankie had said. From the way Maura's hazel eyes pierced into her own, Jane knew he had said more than she would have liked him to. Maura swallowed hard and there was a tremor in her voice. More tears swam in her eyes. "He said that someone had beaten him up, Jane."

"It looked like he'd had a run in with some people" Jane answered and nibbled on her bottom lip. "The paramedics said he had a few broken bones and extensive bruising to his face and torso. First tests showed that his injuries are not to be thought life-threatening so he'll live. Unfortunately."

"Jane!"

"Sorry."

There was a pause and they looked at each other for a little while in silence. Neither of them spoke. Jane's hand still cupped Maura's cheek. She could stay like this forever. In bed, together. She wanted to hold her every day for the rest of her life and she never ever wanted to see her cry again. She wanted to make her smile every day. The thought surprised Jane and caught her off guard. When had she turned into a hopeless fairy tale romantic?

"When were you going to tell me, Jane?" Maura suddenly asked and she broke the silence between them. Suddenly the tenderness had disappeared and all that remained was a tension so thick it could be cut with a knife. Her hazel eyes pierced into Jane's. There were no more tears but Jane detected the first signs of anger. Maura's eyes hardened. "Well?"

Jane averted her eyes and stared at her other hand. The one that lay beside Maura, the one that wasn't touching her. Her eyes fixed on scar. She knew what Maura was going to say. Jane knew that Maura knew. Her voice was soft when she asked that one question anyway. She peered at Maura through her eyelashes, regret already visible in her dark eyes. "Tell you what?"

"That my father is involved in this?"


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Right, this is it. The final chapter. Thank you all for being so awesome and reviewing all the while. I am so grateful you guys all took the time to read this story. Every piece I write is like a small fragment of my heart and means a lot to me. To see it appreciated.. I cannot even begin to put into words what your faithful love means to me. Your comments, your praise and your critique have made me the writer I am today so when you tell me you love what I do, how my work makes you snile, be also grateful to yourself because only because of your support and reviews and comments can I better myself. Thank you. ~Cissy.

**PS**: Now please all review because this is the last chapter. lol. chocolate cookie at the end!

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Jane felt defeated. She looked at Maura, who was at her turn staring back at Jane. She knew she wanted an answer and Jane also knew that Maura wanted the truth. How could she even have believed that Maura wouldn't find out she had involved Doyle into all of this? This woman had an answer for just about every question imaginable, knew more random facts about the things in this world than Jane could even begin to comprehend and yet Jane had expected, or maybe hoped, that she would not notice the lie Jane had told her.

_Way to go, Rizzoli. You've only kissed her once and you're lying to her already. And you wonder why you're still single?_

She took a deep breath. Intense coffee coloured eyes sought out hazel brown. "Maura…"

"Don't lie to me."

There was such intense hurt in those words that it felt as if someone had just reached deep inside Jane's chest and ripped out her heart. The pure expression of pain in Maura's plea made Jane ache inside. She felt sick to her stomach and nervously picked at her nails. She had no idea what else could do but tell the truth. She had caused Maura pain. She had lied to her. Could she even begin to fix this? She knew how Maura felt about her father. What had she done?

"This is not as black and white as it seems, Maur" Jane began and watched Maura intensely. Nothing in her face gave any emotions away. She just lay there beside her, on her back, staring up at her, expecting the truth and nothing but the truth. And Jane realised there and then she would have to give her that, no matter how much it would hurt. "When we realised you were missing we had no idea who took you. Our first logical assumption was that an enemy of Paddy Doyle had found out who you are and kidnapped you to get to him."

It reminded her of the time Paddy Doyle himself had taken Maura. She had been frightened. She would have done anything to get her back. _Anything_. And this time had been no different. She did what she felt she had to do. Jane doubted whether Maura even knew what she would have done if it meant she would have gotten her back safe. She would have to somehow try and make the brunette medical examiner understand that.

"It was Korsak who suggested we'd talk to Doyle. When I told him you were missing he was angry and upset and reassured me that there was nobody who could possibly have found out who you are" Jane continued. Maura just stared at her. Every so often she blinked. "Not until we received the scalpel did we realise that this was not about Doyle but about Hoyt. But by then Doyle had already told me that he would start his own investigation, which was of course aimed at his enemies in the mob."

"Did he hurt anyone?" Maura wanted to know and Jane let her breathe escape just at the sound of her voice. At least she was still willing to talk to her. "Did he do something to someone who was innocent, Jane?"

"No" Jane answered and swallowed hard. This had been the easy part. So far there was nothing she had done that would give Maura any reason to look at her differently. But that was all about to change. "He didn't do anything until he found out the guy responsible for what happened to you was Pike."

Hazel eyes narrowed. "How did find out it was Pike?"

"I told him."

"You… you did what?"

"I told him, Maura. I told him we found you and that were looking for Pike but he'd gone off the radar and nobody had a clue. We had no way of knowing where he was. He had the whole state to hide in. I knew there was one person who could find him using methods unavailable to the police. I asked Doyle for help" Jane said and there was a hint of aggression in her voice. "I did it for you."

"So it was Doyle who beat him up? Why didn't he kill him?" Maura asked and Jane was surprised by the lack of anger she displayed. Sure, she looked hurt. She could see it in her eyes. But there was no anger there, not even a hint of disappointment. It caught Jane by surprise. "Jane, why?"

"Because he told me that I am not like him. I said that he could kill him if he wanted to but he did not want me to carry that burden around with me for the rest of my life" Jane answered slowly and sighed. "In a way he probably is one of the good guys, Maur. Even if you say there aren't any in his line of work. They found Pike, they roughed him up and then they called me and told me where to find him. Their description was clear enough for me to know almost immediately where they were and like I said, he was beaten to a pulp but they seemed to know what they did because none of the injuries are life-threatening."

"Why didn't you tell me? In the hospital?" Maura asked softly and a tear glistened in the corner of her eye. "Why did you lie?"

"Would you have let me do this even if it meant I caught Pike?" Jane retorted and when Maura didn't answer she weakly smiled. "I didn't think you would." She leant in and her lips were mere inches from Maura's. "You need to understand that I would have done anything to get you back._ Anything._ I would have paid Pike all the money in the world if I had to. All I wanted was to get you back."

Maura looked at Jane for a little while; her hazel eyes searched the dark haired detective's face. Neither of them spoke and perhaps they did not need to. Maura did understand, maybe even better than Jane thought. The way Maura had felt whenever Hoyt targeted Jane, the intense desperation she had experienced and the desire to make things better and help Jane; those were the same emotions Jane had experienced throughout the last few days.

Slowly she pushed herself up on her arms and her lips unexpectedly captured Jane's in a surprisingly intense kiss. The raven haired woman lost her balance and tumbled down on top of Maura and moaned in satisfaction when she felt Maura's arms snake around her back. Her own hands began a journey up Maura's arms before slipping in her hair. She kissed her back and nipped at her bottom lip, causing Maura to smile. When they eventually broke apart Jane looked down at Maura underneath her and smiled.

"I am just so glad this is over, Maur."

"Me too" Maura answered softly and brushed a strand of hair out of Jane's eyes. "You know what kept me going throughout all of this?"

"Mmm?"

"You."

The bedroom door swung open and Jane's head whipped around to find her mother standing in the open door. Angela stared at the bed, looking slightly bewildered when she found Jane on top of Maura and then she smiled, especially when she noticed how her daughter's face changed into an intense shade of scarlet. "Oh never mind me. I just came to see if…" She didn't finish her sentence and it was obvious she had not come in for anything in particular at all.

"MA!" Jane cried in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you to _KNOCK_?"

"Maybe you should get a 'do not disturb' sign from now on?" Maura teasingly suggested and Jane cast her a dark look.

"You stay out of this." Her eyes snapped back to Angela, who was still grinning like a Cheshire Cat. What's so funny, Ma?"

"Nothing, baby" Angela answered with a beaming smile. "I err... I was just wondering if you could give me a lift back to Dr Isles' house."

"You're not staying?" Jane asked as she let herself slide off Maura and ended up sitting in some strange position on the other side of the bed. It was anything but flattering.

"Stay where exactly? Your bed is already occupied" Angela grinned and Maura sent her a wide smile from the other side of the bed. She was wearing one of Jane's oversized baseball jerseys and wrapped some of the duvet around her. It seemed that the brunette was far more comfortable than Jane was, but then again Maura was by now used to Angela living with her and running into her at the most random and awkward moments. It seemed the woman had a knack for always turning up right at the moment you did not want anybody to see you.

"OK" Jane sighed and slipped off the bed. She turned to glance at Maura. "You wanna stay here or you wanna sleep in your own bed tonight?"

"Will you be sleeping with me?" Maura asked and when Jane gave a quick nod she too slipped out of the bed and began looking for her clothes.

"Hey, sleeping beauty, you look just fine in my clothes. Just put your expensive designer dress in your bag and get your ass in the car" Jane smirked as she watched Maura walk around her bedroom in her favourite jersey and her grey boxers. With the honey coloured curls and the amazing legs added to that Maura did not only look cute, she looked damn sexy too. Jane let her eyes wander up the brunette's frame until her mother grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the bedroom.

"You ruined my view!" Jane whined when she turned to face Angela.

"Jane, I just want you to know how happy I am for you and Dr Is… Maura…" Angela said and she put her hand on her daughter's arm. Jane smiled and gave her mother a hug. Angela's head rested on her daughter's shoulder and she brushed some hair aside. "Is this the wrong time to say that I still want grandchildren?"

"MA!"

"Sorry" Angela grinned and Maura chose that moment to come out of the bedroom. She carried her bag and Jane took it off her. Maura didn't even try to object. Jane picked up her keys, sent her mother ahead and then turned to Maura. She kissed her in the open door way and smiled when they broke apart.

"I'll buy you your own jersey for Christmas" she promised. "I may even have your name put on."

"I want a Celtics one" Maura said and Jane gave her a look. She knew that wasn't Jane's team. She grinned. "Red Sox then?"

Jane cracked a smile. "I'll get you a Red Sox jersey."

~()~

They got back to Maura's about forty five minutes and a stop at the coffee bar around the corner later and Jane walked with Angela to the guest house whilst Maura went about feeding Bass, whom she had missed a great deal. Jane shot her one last look before following her mother out and smiled as she observed Maura kneeling down beside the large tortoise as he sniffed at the bed of salad leaves Maura had just given him. Jane left them to it and found her mother in the guest house living area.

"So you and Dr Isles, eh?" Angela asked and her eyes twinkled. "Told you I was right!"

"Ma!" Jane pulled a face and shook her head. Then she smiled. A proper cheesy, shy smile and her cheeks began to turn pink. Dark eyes glistened and for the first time in what felt like forever Jane Rizzoli was happy and it radiated of her. "You might want to start calling her Maura, Ma. Since she's your new daughter-in-law and everything..."

"Oh Jane!" Angela smiled and then enveloped her daughter in her arms. "I am just so happy to see you happy."

Jane rested her head on her mom's shoulder and held her. For all her strange and annoying traits, she loved her mother dearly. She wouldn't know what she'd do without her. "Thanks, Ma."

"Now go and see if she's all right in there. I promise I'll stay here..." Angela said when she let go of Jane and she winked when she saw her daughter's flustered face. "And I'll knock too."

Jane smiled in reply and turned to leave the guest house. From the door way she could see almost directly into the kitchen, with the curtains now obscuring the windows, and she noticed Maura was no longer standing by the cooking island. Jane crossed the white gravelled path and the neatly kept garden and stepped into the kitchen through the side door. She found Bass, happily eating his salad, and she contemplated petting him before remembering Maura once telling her not to come between her tortoise and his food.

"Maura?" Jane called softly and her instincts brought her to the bedroom. The door was half ajar and she peered inside. She had only been in Maura's own bedroom a handful of times and never as her... Wait.. What was she? Girlfriend? Lover? Partner? Anyway, she could think about that later. As she stepped into the room the bed came into view and she found Maura sitting on the end, bent forwards and her face covered by her hands. From the jerky motions of her shoulders Jane guessed she was crying and she quickly hurried across the room before sitting down beside the brunette medical examiner and wrapping her up in her arms. Maura rested herself against Jane's chest and Jane kissed her hair.

"Hey, why are you crying?" Jane whispered softly and she ran her fingers through Maura's soft hair. She tried to get the younger woman to look at her. "Maura?"

Maura slowly looked up. Angry tear tracks covered her beautiful face and her eyes were all puffy. "I –I don't know…" she stammered, her words interrupted by snorts and hiccups.

"Why don't you start by telling me what you were think when you started crying…" Jane said tenderly and brushed some of the tears from Maura's cheeks. Her gaze briefly lingered on the angry cuts on Maura's neck and her heart ached. "And stop crying. You are far too beautiful to cry."

"I-I was thinking about Pike…" Maura whispered. "About what he did." There was another snort and some hiccups and Maura swallowed. Big, wide hazel eyes looked up into Jane's. "Jane, I was so scared…"

"I know baby" Jane answered. And she did know. She knew how frightened Maura must have been. It was a body numbing, paralysing fear that slowly constricted your heart. She had felt it when she had stared up to Hoyt after he nailed her to the floor with scalpels. She kissed Maura's forehead and forced the image of the monster from her past out of her head. "I know."

"And my father…" Instantly there was anger in her voice and Jane's dark eyes swept over Maura's face. "As much as I can understand you asking him for help, Jane, I struggle to understand why you would have sent him after Pike. And you lied to me. You didn't tell me."

Jane's eyes narrowed. "Would you have rather that I'd told you? Would you have let me? Maura, we would probably still be looking for Pike if it had not been for Doyle. I know that him being your father angers you but it was the only way!"

Maura shook her head. "I don't want him in my life, Jane. I want nothing to do with him."

"And you don't have to. I dealt with him. He never asked to see or speak to you because he knows you don't want to." Jane answered firmly and her dark eyes lingered on Maura's eyes. "I am sorry of me getting him involved upset you, Maura. But I would do it again if it meant I got Pike. And we did. To me it doesn't matter how we found him."

"Who knows?" Maura questioned softly.

"Korsak and Frost" Jane answered. "And I doubt Frost knows the full extent of it but if he does, it will be safe and secure. Trust me. Frankie had no idea." She hesitated. "I'm sorry for lying to you, Maura."

Maura stood up and began pacing around the bedroom. "He just becomes a part of every aspect of my life!"

Jane frowned as she followed Maura with her eyes. "Who?"

"My father!"

"Sperm donor."

"Jane!"

"Oh c'mon, Maura. Paddy Doyle isn't the man who helped you with your homework, who taught you how to ride a bike or gave you your first microscope and biology text books when you were eleven!" Jane said and Maura stopped pacing and turned to look at the dark haired detective. "Your adoptive father did all of that! He is your real father!"

"I can't ride a bike."

"Maur…_what_?"

"You said my adoptive father taught me how to ride a bike. He didn't. I can't ride a bike." Maura said with her face blank and clearly dead serious. Jane stared at her in a mixture of amazement and misunderstanding.

"Figuratively, Maura. Why do you always have to be so literal?" Jane sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "What I am trying to say is that Paddy Doyle is not your father. Your adoptive parents, they are your real parents, Maura."

"But his DNA…"

"…Is in your blood. Yes, I know that. But there is more to becoming the person that you are than just DNA. It takes more than a biological connection to be a parent just as much as there doesn't have to be a biological link at all for someone to be a wonderful parent. Your adoptive parents have their flaws, Maura, but they raised you and they love you. They helped develop this wonderful human being. Clever, intelligent and a little awkward maybe but none of that had anything to with Paddy Doyle" said Jane and she watched the expression on Maura's face change. "And I will repeat this to you for the rest of my life if I have to."

"Thank you" Maura smiled softly and sat back down beside Jane. Her hands found those of the dark haired detective and then she leant in, kissing her softly. Jane answered her kiss and moaned softly when she felt Maura's tongue press against her lips, looking for a way in. She let her and their tongues engaged in a passionate dance of power, lust and control and after a little while Maura scooted closer and her arms snaked around Jane's back where they began to tuck at the hem of her shirt.

Jane ended their kiss and dark eyes stared into lust filled hazel brown. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she whispered as Maura's hands continued to pull at her shirt and began to reveal her abdomen. Her heart pounded in her chest and all sorts of tingling sensations were rushing through her body, deep down into her core. Her eyes found the cuts on Maura's neck. "We can wait…"

"Sex releases oxytocin and vasopressin" Maura whispered with a twisted little smile. "Oxytocin is released after orgasm and increased the bond between lovers and…"

"Shut up" Jane interrupted her and her lips crashed back down on Maura's and she slowly pushed her backwards onto the bed. "Just shut up."

~()~

The days turned into weeks and Jane couldn't quite remember the last time she had spent a night at her own apartment. The day she had brought Maura home was the day she had moved in. She had only returned to collect Jo Friday and some clean clothes. Slowly the season began to change outside their windows and life fell back into its usual rhythm of working cases, chasing perps and endless conversations with Maura in the morgue. Their relationship blossoms as the weeks went by and Jane noticed how the atmosphere around them had changed now that they had finally admitted their feelings for each other. People seemed strangely happy.

Every so often Jane's eyes would linger on the silver scars on Maura's neck the same way Maura's gaze would often drop to Jane's hands. The scars told a story of survival, of strength, and in a strange way had become a symbol of their love. Every night before they went to sleep Jane would kiss Maura's neck, her lips soft against the slightly rougher tissue of the scars, and she would whisper she loved her and how beautiful she was. In turn Maura would hold Jane's hand, her fingers covering the scars, and held it until sleep claimed both of them.

They were together. They were complete. The missing piece had been found and the two halves of the heart had fallen into place.

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Fin.

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